Ear Piercing update

I thought I would wait a couple weeks following Lily’s ear piercing to give updates.  Everything is perfect!

Our experience at Skin Dimensions could not have been better. We arrived for our scheduled appointment at 2:30 pm. Upon walking into the shop we were immediately greeted by the staff and made to feel very comfortable.  Two young girls and their mother were just wrapping up following their ear piercing.  The girls couldn’t have been happier and were all smiles with their new earrings.

We were introduced to our artist Claire Mondor, who is an incredible bundle of energy and so professional. Claire took us to her room which is a children’s delight, full of pink and Disney characters everywhere.  Claire took the time to talk me through the process, and she is obviously very experienced with infants and children.  She was so engaging with Lily.

Lily right after she got her ears pierced

First she disinfected Lily’s ear lobes and marked where each ear will be pierced.  She confirmed with me that I was happy with the placement.  Claire then asked me to hold Lily’s head.  The purpose of this is not because it is so painful she needed to be restrained, but because a child’s natural instinct is to move their head to see what is going on.  Claire let me know as soon as the first one was done, turn Lily in the other direction and we’ll do the second right away and then I was to immediately exit the room.  I thought the exit part was unusual, but now it makes sense.  As soon as we left the room, Lily was fine.  Her focus was changed and all was good in the world.  Claire made a point of showing me the disposal of the single use needle, further demonstrating the professionalism and care. It took me longer to take of Lily’s snow suit than it did to get her ears pierced.

It was such a great experience, and I am sooooo happy we chose to do it.  We have had zero issues, Lily’s ears even never got red or puffy. Frankly she probably doesn’t even no.  It didn’t disrupt her sleep or the fact that she likes to lay on her side.

I highly recommend seeing a professional like Claire.  It was the right decision for us.

 

 

Advertisement

To Pierce or Not To Pierce.. That Was My Conundrum

So my plan was to keep it all a secret. Don’t tell a soul.  The secret?  We are having Lily’s ears pierced on Saturday.  Why keep it a secret?  Parent shaming is at an all time high in my opinion.  People will judge every choice you make as a parent.  When Kylie Jenner posted a picture of Stormi with her ears pierced, the internet lit up.  “You have taken away your child’s right to choose”.  “You should have waited until she could consent to body modification”.  Ok, I get it.  I see both sides of the issue. Don’t picket my house with burning torches. It was the same struggle I had when trying to determine if we should circumcise Conor. In the case of circumcision, however, it isn’t easily reversed if he decided he didn’t want it. So we left that choice to him later on.

For us the choice to do it now is the fact that I can control how and where it is done, and I am the one responsible for the post care.  I have little doubt that Lily would not want it later in life, and if she doesn’t she can take them out.

Yes, it isn’t necessary to do.  I am, however, exercising my parental discretion.

In making the decision I researched best options, materials etc. We are having them done at Skin Dimensions, which is a professional piercing shop. On staff, they have a female professional that specializes in baby ear piercing.  Yes there is such a thing.  They use single use sterilized needs and the earrings are implant grade, which eliminates the fear of allergic reaction.  In my research, going to a professional piercing establishment is seen as the best option.  You are dealing with professionals that abide by strict rules of cleanliness and sterilization (make sure you research a reputable piercer).  The needle they use is hollow and it reduces any pain.  This is in stark contrast to say going to the mall and having a 17 year old girl at Claire’s use a piercing gun.  A piercing gun actually piercing using blunt force, which just shoots the blunt earring through the lobe.  Having had my original piercings done this way.. no thank you. Not only is it painful, but the sound of the gun and the high school part time worker likely isn’t the best option.

Yes, I have made this choice for Lily. For us it is the right one, and I can and will make sure she is safe and they are well taken care of.  Of course pics to follow on my Instagram, and a follow up piece on how it went.