Nail painting

[roses]

Okay - here is a funny question for all. My mother, who generally has great advice has just told me that I shouldn't have my nails painted while pregnant. It has something to do with doctors needing to look at the colour of your nails if you had to have a sudden operation and need to go under.
For the record, I was ROFL when she told me but she swears it's true. I have never heard anything like this! Has anyone else?
While this is not actually a medical condition, I wasn't quite sure where to post this thread? Joke of the day perhaps?

[CeCe]

I know if you are undergoing a planned anethestic they do ask you to remove all nail polish as I think they check the nail bed for signs/levels of oxygenation. I've not heard about not painting nails in pregnancy as a 'just in case'. If so, where do we stop the 'just in case' mentallity.

[berrme]

They will remove nail polish from at least 1 nail if you need to have emergency surgery. Your mum is right about them wanting to be able to check your nailbeds for colour, make up needs to be removed too so they can see your lip colour. As for not painting your nails at all during pregnancy... being a bit paranoid really.

[Inanna]

Oh bless her...! If you have a GA you will have your polish removed from a couple of nails - just to check your oxygenation - the O2 monitor cannot read your O2 levels through polish either.

As for having no polish for your pregnancy - go for it gorgeous. It takes 5 minutes to take off your polish. It would kinda be like saying you should never wear polish in case you ever need a GA. Just not necessary - but a cute thought!

[Glamourcide]

I always had people telling me I should avoid painting my nails and dyeing my hair during pregnancy because of the chemicals 'soaking into my skin'... but it never swayed me. I did switch from permanent to semi-permanent hair dye, and from acetone polish remover to a gentler non-acetone one (purely because the smell was a bit easier on my sensitive nose, the acetone stuff really got to me when I was pregnant), but I never had any worries about emergency surgery or nailbeds being checked for oxygenation!!
It's a fair enough point, my mum told me not to paint my nails around my due date (I ended up being booked in for an induction so she told me to take my polish off the day before I was admitted) 'just in case' I needed an emergency c-sec (she also told me I should take all my piercings out before going in but I told her the doctors would have bolt-cutters laying around to get my jewellery off me, I hate taking them all out and trying to keep the jewellery organised!), so unless you have a medical condition that you think might put you at risk of ending up in hospital any old time, I would just keep on painting your nails right up until you're nearly due, kwim??

Worst-case scenario, I'm sure there will be some kind of solution in a hospital that can be used to get nail polish off you in the case of an emergency... so I wouldn't worry at all lol

[roses]

Thanks ladies,

I thought she was being a little paranoid but what you've all said makes sense. I think she's just concerned as this is my first.

[{sarah}]

I had my nails painted & just before my emergency c/s one of the nurses removed it. With my second emergency c/s I had my nails painted, but french polish & they left that on.