Can you get a tattoo while pregnant or breastfeeding?

Why we decline

A fresh tattoo is an open wound that takes two to four weeks to close, and it needs looking after in that time. We are not willing to put somebody who is carrying or feeding a child in that position, however small the risk turns out to be.

There is also a practical reason. A body changes shape through pregnancy and for a long time afterwards, and a design placed on a stomach, ribs, hips or chest can settle somewhere different from where it was drawn.

The medical side of this belongs to your midwife or GP, and we will not pretend otherwise. Ours is a studio decision, and it does not change with a note.

Breastfeeding counts too

The same answer, for the same reason. Our concern is what happens if a wound becomes infected and what you are able to take for it, and that does not end at the birth.

When you have stopped, tell us and we will book you in.

What happens to a booking you have already made

Tell us and we will move the date. Your deposit moves with you and there is no deadline on it, because we would rather hold it for a year than have you rush.

• If you booked before you knew, that is completely fine. Say so and nothing else needs explaining.
• You do not have to give us any detail beyond the fact itself.
• This is on the health form you fill in before we start, and it is one of the things we stop for.

Tattoos you already have

Healed work is not affected and this page is not about it. The question is only about getting new work done.