Getting a body piercing can feel empowering, liberating, and self-expressive, but it's important not to disregard the sometimes long-term repercussions, warns a TikTok mom named Melinda Strauss. In response to the prompt, "What's a mistake you learned the hard way that you can now help others avoid?" Strauss explained that anyone planning on getting pregnant would do well to steer clear of belly button rings.
"I know they're cute, they're fun, you can accessorize [them]," notes Strauss. "Don't do it unless you're never planning to have kids, and then, go for it."
She says that the idea of keeping the ring in while pregnant has "always scared" her. But even if you don't, the result is less than desirable. "Your belly gets really, really big, and so does the hole from the belly button ring, and then everything deflates after you have your baby," she shares.
Strauss goes on to warn her audience, "Your belly button ring doesn't go back to 'normal' after you give birth. It becomes like a second belly button. And it's not cute. I had a regular belly button, and then, I had a second belly button."
She explains that she couldn't illustrate her case because she actually had hers fixed-not that she would have anyway, because it was "terrifying."
Commenters responded with jokes ("Tell me you lived through the '90s without telling me you lived through the '90s") and shrugs ("I took mine out during pregnancy and had none of these issues").
While everyone's experience with the body piercing might be unique, with hope, Strauss' words of wisdom serve to shield future moms from a postpartum side effect they would have otherwise never seen coming: the dreaded double belly button.