Navel piercing...am I Too Old?

I am 37 and my husband is 31. I certainly don't feel 37!!
Wouldn't you want to go back in time and tell that younger girl"when you got older you fulfilled that"? Or would you just rather go back and tell her "you decided you were too old"? I've seen some belly rings on some ugly bellies!! Show them how to do it right!! ESPECIALLY if you are a mom!!!

I say go for it I had mine done in college and it was not too bad as far as pain goes (kinda sore the first 2-3 days but nothing some advil/ ice can't help) I am 28 with 2 and had to take mine out at about 30-36 weeks preg. with my first one and I am thinking of re piercing after I get my tummy back to somewhat normal-- really just for myself.

I got my naval piered at 28 and didn't need or want to take it out yet. My husband loves it. Go for it!

H., do whatever makes you happy. ^.^

Regardless of age, weight, and being a parent or not - you should be allowed to decorate your body in any way you like.

AND - going by what Nancy H said (even though you were NOT asking for religious advice) - what is it that we do with our temples? We decorate them so they are beautiful. So how would it be different for you to decorate yourself?

I always hate it when people use that quote against any sort of body modification - especially because many of them dye their hair, pierce their ears and wear makeup.

Please yourself and keep yourself happy. The happiness should follow through to your God, no matter how you worship him (or her).

For anyone to tell you not to do it is ridiculous!!! If you want to do it, and it will make you feel good about yourself--you should absolutely do it! Age should have nothing to do with it esp because you are ONLY 30 for crying out loud!! :) Pain should be your least concern, as well as infection. As a woman that has had numerous piercings throughout her life and do still have some...my only suggestions are 1-get it done at a professional tattoo/piercing shop, and 2-take care of it after you get it! Piercings are easy to take care of and as long as you go somewhere reputable they will use STAINLESS steel studs...so keep it clean and enjoy it!!

I got my'n pierced for my 18th birthday, I took it out when I was prego, but now I have it back in.

I am now 26 (will be 27 in september), and I don't plan on taking my'n out anytime soon. I think it hurt pretty bad, mostly the clamp part.

I had my eyebrow done when I was 14, which I think actually hurt less then my belly button.

I had mine done at 34. I am now 40 and still have it! In the past I have had problems with certain kinds of metal ear ring posts, but have not had any problems with my belly ring. I have even purchased them at our local family dollar store! I had to take it out when I had my hyterectomy for a few days, but didn't have any problems reinserting it. There are oodles of rings you can buy from tasteful to trashy! My husband has always loved to buy me jewelry and belly rings are no exception! I totally don't look like the type to have a belly ring and I love the surprise it brings people!

I say, "Go For It!"

I got my nosed pierced for my 40th birthday. I have a very small discreet little diamond stud. It is something I wanted to do so I did it!! If you want to do it then go for it. You see people who get belly rings that flaunt it and are trashy about it. There is a classy way to do it too!! Just make the right decision!! :)

I can't give you advice on the naval perse... But I'm 28 years old and got my nose, lip, eyebrow, and my monroe done when I was about 26 years old. I'm sure to most I was much too old to finally do what I'd always wanted to do. Well I had my children and I guess I just wanted to do something for me that I'd alway wanted. So I did it. It's now Two years later and I've never regretted it. None of them have ever been infected. The only one that had an issue was the eyebrow and it's pretty common for those to have issues. It looked like it was newly pierced for about a year... that was sort of annoying cause it took forever to heal properly.. but since then it has had no issues.

The other fear alot of people have is people looking down upon them. I've never experieced that actually. Even at my sons school my sons kindergarten teacher talked to me at one meeting about how she use to have some piercings and she wished she hadn't had to have them removed for the job. She talked about how stupid she felt that was. Plus several of the moms in my sons class have facial piercings and for some reason they instantly bond with you and love you. Don't ask me why it just seems to happen.

So I say go for it. I know lots of people with belly button piercings and they love to change their jewelry just like their earrings. It's fun and with that one no one will ever know you have it unless you are in your bikini or you show it off. With regard to pain I've had piercings that are considered ALOT more painful than belly and I find they hurt no more than a shot. The epidural hurt more than all mine! LOL! Sure they are sore for a few days but you won't notice it nearly as much as my lip and I still ate and talked normal with it. Didn't bother me much at all.

Hi,

I have a naval piercing. I got it before I had kids and actually only took my belly ring out when I had my caesar done. I got my piercing done because I wanted it for me and I have never worn cut off tops or flaunted it in any ways. My only suggestion is to have it done in a clinic rather than a tatoo or piercing palour. In a clinic they give you anesthetic around the belly which makes a huge difference. It is very painful to have done and takes a bit of time to heal, but I have never regretted it at all and I never had any infections which was a blessing. I would say go for it, why not? Good luck : )

My girlfriend got one in her 30's and ended up taking it out as the "thrill" of it wore off pretty quickly. I think it gets caught on a lot of stuff and gets irritated pretty quickly. Not to be mean but I also think it's a bit analogous to the tattoo on the lower back of a women... a.k.a. tramp stamp.

Congratulations on getting yourself to where you want to be physically - you deserve to be proud and to flaunt!! Go get a hot string bikini .... I think you'll be happier w/ that.

Personally, with me at 29, I say yes, you are too old. I'm the one who makes fun of the women who have those when they are out of their early 20's. I had mine done for years and took it out after my kids were born. I've also got 20 other piercings and 5 tattoos, so it's not like I'm some old maid here. Plus, it's a really painful piercing, probably the most painful of all the ones I have had. And, you have to be really careful of what you wear while it's healing because if your jeans rub it wrong it SUCKS. Its also got a higher rate of infection because of the location. Of course it's up to you, but if you even have a question about it, don't you think you already have your answer? Hope this helps.

You aren't crazy at all. Body modification is a cultural thing. In my opinion getting one's navel pierced causes no more pain than getting one's ears done. As for being 30, who cares? If you like it and want it, get it done! If it turns out you don't like it all you have to do is take it out. I think infections are fairly rare. You can clean it with a sterile solution (such as contact solution).

P.S. My sister is nearly 30 with two daughters and she has a navel ring and has never thought twice about it.

I get a kick out of the women who think a naval ring (which you mentioned would not be flaunted) is "inappropriate" or similar to a "tramp stamp" (and what's wrong with those I might add?) yet encourage you to wear a skimpy bikini instead! I say if you want to do it - do it. I'm 35, a professional (attorney) and am going to get my second tattoo at the end of this month. That's a heckuva lot more permanent! :) If you want to do it and it makes you feel good about yourself - DO IT! :D

H., I have had my belly button pierced before, I had lost alot of weight, thought they seemed fun, so I did it. It does hurt when it is done, healing can take a while, but if it is something you want, do it for yourself. At 38 years old, I got my nose pierced and love it. Regarding infection, there is always that risk and some people are more prone to it than others, I did get an infection and ultimately had to remove it. A few years later, I did get it re-pierced and had another infection but I also used a plastic barbell. However, my daughter had hers pierced for at least 5 years with no problem whatsoever.
Good luck in your decision. 30 is not too old to do for yourself.

You're not too old and well, I was going to say you're not crazy, but if you want one, who really cares? Take it from me, a fellow 30 year old with stretch marks and a saggy belly. Heck, if I could do it, I would. (If I wanted to, that is.) I say go for it! :)

Go for it! I had my navel pierced to celebrate my 45th birthday. I had my daughter at 41 and got no stretch marks, went to Pilates for over a year and got my abs back and then did it! It hurts about as much as getting a shot, and will be sore for a while, and will take several months to completely heal. If you are traveling this winter you should be fine (swimming is not recommended for the first few months), but be sure to take care of it every day as they will instruct you. I recommend both Saint Sabrina's in Uptown or Aloha Monkey in Burnsville to get it done.

And as for "tasteful" that is a matter of perception. Being a mom doesn't make us not need to feel and be sexy, and age has nothing to do with that either. I "flaunt" mine all the time, when I go running in a sportsbra and shorts, or wear a halter top or middriff top in the summer, or a bikini. My guy thinks it's the sexiest thing ever, and so do I...

You got it...flaunt it!

Congrats on getting your flat stomach back. What a wonderful way to "HONOR YOUR BODY!" That's a lot of work.

Unlike tatoos, piercings can always heal up later, once you stop putting in the body jewelry. I'd rather be an old lady with old piercings, than an old lady with smeary old tattoos. (personal opinion :)

No - you are not too old...you got it, flaunt it! :) I got mine at 22 (after my daughter) and now I'm 27 and one more kid later (taking it out the last two months of pregnancy cuz it hurt), and like you I didn't get one single stretch mark with either pregnancy (yay!)and it still looks very cute, especially if you wear the dangly ones...get creative! :) ...Your husband might not have an opinion either way, but once you get it he is going to love it...they're very cute and if you decide you don't like it you can always take it out.

Hi, I'm 30 also and have 2 children as well and if i came out unscathed with a nice belly afterwards, I'd say why the heck not! lol. If you want one...go get one! I honestly can't tell you if it hurts or not, but a few of my friends and my sister had hers done. I think it'd be a good idea, just make sure and take good care of it. Good Luck!

H.,
Go for it! Why not celebrate your flat tum-tum after all your hard work. I think they look pretty too, and if it doesn't work out (because of infection, etc) it's not going to leave a mark that you can see. I think it's awesome that you want to do this! Good luck!

I'd have to agree. Go for it! It's something for you.(And if you don't like it, it's something that will heal!)

I had one in college and ended up having to take it out because I was reacting to the metal. So if you've ever had reactions to any other type of jewelry, I would reconsider. It looked infected to me, but the dr. said it was an allergic reaction. That's my experience.

Go for it :) Make sure you do it at a good place... they should explain to you their procedure etc. It doesn't hurt too bad. Just try not to worry about it too much, my friend was so terrified that she fainted before the lady even touched her LOL
I had mine done when I was 15, and took it out when i had my kids, but I had it redone a couple years ago. I am 31 now, and my tummy is not flat LOL But it makes ME feel sexy :)

Don't worry about people poo pooing it either, this is a very common thing to do, and your children will be exposed to it whether you have one or not. I used to think that i couldn't be myself anymore once i had kids. I recently realized that i need to express myself and have fun with it in order to be a good happy Mom! Suppressing myself made me lose part of who I am. Sometimes people need to learn how to lighten up a bit :)

NO! You are never too old to get something that you want - and there is nothing crazy about a naval piercing. Go for it!

Congrats on having come out unscathed. I wish I had been so lucky. I myself had always wanted to get my nose pierced and at 31 I finally did it. I have absolutely no regrets. I have a professional job and at first my boss looked at me strangely but never said anything. I have also had a lot of compliments. Which shocked me. If I were you I would celebrate your body and that you look good at 30. Go for it!!

H., I don't think you're too old. I'm 58 and have wanted my nose pierced since I was about your age. Finally got it done 2 years ago...no regrets. I've also wanted to get a tattoo for a number of years, but haven't done it yet. I don't look my age at all and have considered getting my belly button pierced (just to say I did it, but haven't done that either).

Like someone said, if it doesn't work out, you can always just let it heal over.

I think its great!!! IF you have worked that hard for what you have you should be able to have one, However having and flaunting it are totally different!!! I think if you do it respectfully and tastefully it is ok!!!

GO FOR IT!!! I was in my upper 20's when I had mine done, and I've kept it in through three pregnancies! My husband likes it (not a lot, but he thinks it's cool I have it, and a little sexy, despite MY belly not being in as good a shape as yours!), so I went for it. Now, I feel like it's this little piece of "me" I get to keep despite being mommy 99% of the time. I had a friend also, who had big issues with her mommy-belly, and her husband LOVED it. I say go for it! It's discreet enough that it's not something you need to show off unless you want to, so that's nice, too. You can keep it in even when your belly is ugly when you're 98 and nobody needs to know! I had mine done at a tattoo place (which is soooo not me) and I made the mistake of watching the friend I went with first. After that I was a little freaked (they basically stick a needle through it) but I almost passed out getting my cartilage pierced (ear), so maybe I'm a little bit of a wimp! Anyway--it was infected for a LONG time, so get some good cleaning advice, either from a good piercer or your doctor. But it wasn't horribly painful, either the piercing or the infection, and I'd say it was worth it. I had it done 6 years ago.

If you don't do it you'll regret it and you've obviously worked hard for it so why not?? The only people who'd think you shouldn't do it are the ones that'll be somewhat jealous.. Use Jamaica as your excuse (it's a darn good one) and go for it!

Life is too short!! As long as you don't flaunt it ridiculously and people don't start mistaking your age for 16 or calling you white trailer trash, live it up. Give yourself some credit for being able to get your body back! Most of us moms would die to be able to have the motivation!

Go for it. It hurts, but it's not that bad, you just have to take care of it, and go somewhere reputable to get it done. I know that some doctors will do it, so you should check into that. If you are going on a trip to Jamaica this winter you should get it done now.

H.,

I say you should go for it. I had one when I was younger and I LOVED it and my husband (boyfriend at the time) loved it too. It didn't look very sexy once I got preggers - so I took it out and haven't given it a second thought since.

I do not think that you will regret having it done - since if you don't like/want it - you just take it out. But I do think that you will regret not getting it done. Life is too short to worry about what everyone else is going to think - you will always find that someone out there doesn't agree. If it will make you happy, you should do it!

Hi H.! You are NOT too old! :) I have only known one person who had an infection and it cleared up quickly, once she had it treated. Go to someplace clean ;)

I was disturbed by Nancy's response. Who are we to throw scriptures at people? I am a Christian and have my nose and ears pierced. It's not even remotely a sin! I just want you to know that NO ONE should look down on you for having tattoos or piercings!

there are always the good side and the bad side....i say go for it. i had mine done when i was in my late thirties and had it thru out my whole precency. my ob/gyn had no problem with me keeping it. i did have to take it out as i gained weight over the years. but i say go for it. just make sure you have it done by a pro!!!

If you got the body heck do it. I wouldn't flaunt it though. There is a huge difference between having it and flaunting it.

I'm almost 29 and have my nose pierced just a small teeny tiny diamond. I love piercings but once I had kids felt to old to keep my eye brow piercings etc. I tamed it down when I had kids.

Go for it, you worked hard to get your tummy back.

H. ~ I do not have my navel pierced or have a tattoo but I say go for it. I am a 40 year old mom of 4 and as I have aged I laugh at things that people freak out about. I am not a fan of tattoos but as long as they and the piercings are done in good taste why not. If it makes you feel good and sexy that is all that matters. Good luck and have fun and when you go on that sexy tropical vaca with your hubby and show off that tummy .

Personally I think once you are a wife and a mom it is not very tasteful, but that is just my opinion. If you have a great body wearing a bikini is enough, and will get you the most positive attention. People are going to notice if you look great, naval ring or not. I see moms with 2 or 3 little ones on the beach that have beautiful bodies and I envy them and admire the fact that they have obviously worked hard and bounced back from having kids, but as soon as I see the tattoos on their lower backs or naval rings honestly my opinion does change a little. I am generally a very open and accepting person but showing a "wild" or "sexy" side when you have little kids running around with you just does not go together. That's just me though and really it's a prejudice that is unfounded and irrational. Even though I feel that way, I also think you can do whatever you want! Who cares what people think. If you want to get a piercing go for it!! Do what makes you happy.

Age is relative. It sounds like you have a nice tummy and it is something you have always wanted. It is one of the most discreet piercings you can get. My only warning is this: some people dont pierce well and tend to be prone to infection or keloids (big scars). Also since the "right" way to pierce your belly button is with a hollow needle that takes out a core of flesh, the healing process can take a while. For me it was about a month before the sesitivity subsided. Any pants that I wore had to be low rider, I didn't want anything to touch that area for a month, also bending at the waist was a little painful at first.

If you have your ears pierced and don't have problems you should be ok. People that get earing infections and can only wear a certain type of metal tend to be the same way with body piercing. I hope this was helpful. Good luck, and you are only as old as you feel. :)

You are absolutely NOT to old to get what you want. I have a good friend at the age of 60 got her first tatoo, something she had always wanted to do. So if you really want one .. Go For It. At 30 years of age you are still very young yet and have the body for it. You can always remove it at a later age if you feel it inappropriate. And if you have the body for it.. where a bikini and show that wonderful body of yours off for the both of you. Good Luck!

Go for it show off all your hard work!!

I say go for it! Yes you are a mom but that does not define who you are. If you want one and you have the body for it I say yes!! You worked hard to get that tummy back - show it off.

Ha ha! You're not too old. Just be prepared to be fielding requests to get their own piercings from your kids when they hit school age :)

H.,

One thing to consider is that actions speak louder than words, especially those of a parent to their child. One question you may want to ask yourself is do you want your 10 year old daughter begging for a body piercing with the excuse of, "But mom, YOU have one!" Kids are really clever that way.

S.

Hi H.,
Maybe I am crazy but I got one in my late 30's (after children so I thought)! LOL I did this for our 10th Anniversary and my husband loved it - he is the one that wanted me to do it actually. I am lucky too that I did not get stretch marks.
Well - I did get PG at the age of 39 and used a surgical type PG Belly Ring (they actually make those things which surprised me) and now 3 years later still have this belly ring and I must say my tummy was a bit more tight prior to #3 child but still working on it :)
I did not have any problems with infections, etc. and was really not painful. It was tender for a few months and I had to be careful.
Good luck :)

H.,

I am going to be 30 in two weeks, and I have my navel pierced. I have stretch marks and all, but I love my piercing. Besides, it's your body, so go for it! :)