Can you wear jewelry during labor?

A few months ago I went through a triple whammy of sleep deprivation from baby playing up, work stress and food poisoning.

I was knackered by the end of the week but kept on going. Life doesn’t stop for a mom.

When we got to the playground, the baby pooped and had to be changed on the park bench. Then I realized my wedding ring was gone!

We combed through grass and sand but never found it. Truth be told, I was so exhausted that I wasn’t even sure when I lost it.

Granted, I didn’t lose it during labor. But labor involves exhaustion, stress and sometimes poop and vomit too.

If you’re preparing for labor and delivery, have you made sure you’re all prepped? Hypnobirthing is a method that uses relaxation techniques and deep breathing to help you feel calmer and have less pain during delivery.

My favorite online hypnobirthing class is Hypnobubs. You get 10 video sessions, ebooks and lots of free goodies like Affirmations for Beautiful Birthing, Prompts for Birthing and inspiring birth videos!

Check out the Hypnobubs offer.

Now let’s get back to the bling:

Table Of Contents

Can you wear your wedding ring during labor?
Can you wear earrings during labor?
Can you wear bracelets and necklaces during labor?
Can you wear nose rings, nipple piercings, belly button piercings?
Why you can't wear jewelry during a Caesarean section
To wrap up

Can you wear your wedding ring during labor?

Yes, you can. No one would insist you remove your wedding ring for labor.

The bigger question is should you?

There is a good chance you wouldn’t lose your ring even if you did wear it throughout labor and delivery. It’s a familiar item to bring into the birthing suite with you. I know I felt naked and uncomfortable without my wedding ring.

But in some instances, maybe you should remove your rings before labor.

You should remove your rings if:

You tend to have sensitive skin
You have been retaining water. Chances are your fingers would swell even more during labor. You don’t want to be faced with the decision to cut your ring to save your finger.

Your ring is loose. In the chaos of delivery, if your ring slid of your sweaty finger, you wouldn’t even hear it chink.

If you love jewelry, check out this unique customizable push ring by INDIEROADjewelry on Etsy.

Can you wear earrings during labor?

You can. But stick to stud earrings instead of the dangly ones. You also need to be prepared to remove them if you have to undergo an emergency C-section.

Can you wear bracelets and necklaces during labor?

Don’t even try. They get in the way and you’ll get irritated really quickly.

Can you wear nose rings, nipple piercings, belly button piercings?

Yes to all if you are undergoing vaginal delivery. No to all if you are having a Caesarean section.

Why you can’t wear jewelry during a Caesarean section

Metal jewelry can cause an electrical arc. This can affect the cauterizer used during surgery to electrically seal bleeding blood vessels, increasing your risk of burns.

Post-op swelling (water retention) is can happen, especially if you had lots of fluid pumped into you during surgery.

Jewelry is also known to be germ-infested. Trust me, the last thing you want is an infected C-section wound.

Having said that, some hospitals allow you to wear your wedding ring during C-section if it’s a simple band. But they will cover it with tape.

Simple wedding bands like this are usually permitted in the operating theater

To wrap up

You can wear jewelry during labor but do you really want to? Other than your wedding ring, there’s probably no need for any other piece of jewelry.

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Sharon James

Chief Blogger at The Sensual Mom

I am a mom of 2 bossy toddlers. I breastfed both and struggled through all the usual breastfeeding issues. Now I give nursing moms the info you need to make good decisions during your breastfeeding journey.