nail polish??

does anyone know if it is safe to use nail polish whilst pregnant?? My nails are growing nicely and I want to give myself a nice french polish.

I asked my Obstetrician when I was newly pregnant as I'd read a few internet comments that seemed to indicate it might be a risky thing to do. My Ob said that women have been using varnish for years with no apparent ill effects. He gave the go ahead for me to continue using polish and varnish remover.

Example of a comment I've seen online...
"As far as I'm aware, there has been no research done in the UK on the use of nail polish or remover in pregnancy. In the US, a report appeared in December 2000 by the Environmental Working Group (an environmental campaign group) that said that because some nail varnishes contain the chemical dibutyl phthalate, they should be avoided whilst trying to conceive, during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. This is because this chemical has been found to cause birth defects, especially in the male reproductive system, in laboratory animals. The cosmetic industry has disputed these effects, and the US Food and Drug Administration, along with other regulatory bodies in North America and Europe, allows the use of phthalates. However, organisations like Greenpeace are concerned about their use. I would advise caution when using any man-made chemicals in pregnancy. If you must wear nail polish, limit its use to special occasions, after 12 weeks of pregnancy when your baby will be fully developed. Although there's no specific information on nail polish remover, it's quite a noxious substance, which again I would avoid for the first few weeks."

In spite of my Ob's advice, I changed my ways while pregnant. I always have my toenails painted a bright colour and occasionally splurge on a professional french polish manicure for my fingers. I decided to limit polish use until I was beyond the first 12 weeks of preg, just to be as safe as possible. In fact the only time I've seen my toenails nude in the past 15 years was while pregnant. And even then I still had plenty of toenail polish time after the first trimester. LOL

i have done my toenails the whole way through - just make sure you are in a well ventilated room!

I always have my toe nails painted.....ive painted them whilst in labour too (have too look sensational whilst giving birth), like 76stars said, make sure its well ventilated, and a good brand (i.e not $2 brand, they can be lethal !!!)

i use nail polish occassionally as others have said well ventilated room is a good idea i also bought a nail polish remover that was acetone and a few other things free so less chemicals, still works just as well... sooo many women still pain there nails and i have never heard anything about bad things happening to them from it so id say just be careful not to stick ur nose in the bottle but it should be fine :)