For about a year I'd been considering getting my nipples pierced, but never really gave it serious thought. During a casual discussion with a few coworkers about tattoos and piercings, I mentioned my desire to get my nipples done. Another girl that I worked with said she wanted her bridge pierced. We decided that we'd go get our piercings done at the same time for moral support.
At A Glance Author laceymeow Contact laceymeow@yahoo.com When A month ago Artist Ron Studio Nadwe Zibe Location South Bend, Indiana The 4 days until our planned piercing date seemed like forever! Finally, that Friday came and it was time to get them done. I normally go to Late Night Creations on the east side of Mishawaka, Indiana (near South Bend where I'm from) for my piercings, but for some reason having my nipples done by that piercer seemed strange to me. I'm still not quite sure why, but that's beside the point. Another friend from work has always gotten her body mods done at Nadwe Zibe on the west side of South Bend. I hadn't been in there since my favorite tattoo artist, Half Pint, left there. Since I'd never heard anything bad about piercings done at Nadwe Zibe, my coworker and I decided to give it a shot.
When we arrived, we were both feeling quite nervous. It was so exciting! Since there was a 7-11 across the street, I decided to get a soda before the procedure just in case I felt weak afterwards. I've never had a problem with that after a piercing or tattoo previously, but I figured it couldn't hurt. My coworker went first, and her bridge looked great.
It was my turn.I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I was honestly afraid of the pain to come, although I'd had no troubles with my other piercings (nostril, navel, and labret). Ron, the piercer, made me feel at ease. He assured me that the pain wouldn't be terrible, and it would be over quick. I opted for cbr hoops; barbells seem as if they'd be difficult to take care of during the healing process in my opinion. Then he sat me down and began to clean my nipples. Honestly, that was probably the worst part of the whole process. It was irritating to have them scrubbed! Being very ticklish didn't help matters either. Next, he marked the spots for the placement of the needle. I looked at them in the mirror and gave him a thumbs up. Everything seemed just fine. I decided to have a sip of my soda before he prepared the needle(s).
I sat back down in the blue dentist chair, smiling. He placed the clamp on my right nipple, and had his lovely assistant hold it in place. I followed his directions and breathed deeply, in and out 3 times. On the third exhale, the needle went through. I yelped something like "fuuuuuu-dge". Then I just laughed a bit. The pain was short yet intense. I personally felt it was more a burning sensation than anything. He then placed the ring in, which was a bit uncomfortable. I stared at my freshly pierced right nipple in awe.
No time was wasted between nipples. The clamp was placed on my left nipple, just the same as my right had been moments before. I was still smiling in excitement. Unfortunately, I messed up on my breathing pattern for the second nipple. The pain was a bit more intense, but still definitely nowhere near excruciating.
After both piercings, Ron cleaned up around them since there was iodine (?) scrub all over. I carefully put my bra back on. I had purposely worn a sports bra that day because I'd been told it was the best thing to wear for newly pierced nipples. Once I was completely redressed, my coworker and I thanked Ron and gave him tips since it was required to pay for the procedure before it was done.
The first few minutes after my piercings were complete felt fine; I was in no pain. My coworker and I decided to go out for a late dinner afterwards. About half way through my meal, I felt a bit of discomfort. My chest ached terribly at that point. We finished our meals and went our separate ways, both in delight due to our fresh piercings. I went home and took 800 mg of Ibuprofen, and shortly after I went to bed.
The next morning, I woke up feeling great. My soreness had subsided, and my nipples looked wonderful. I experienced no bleeding at all. Swelling was minimal. I carefully cleaned my nipples with Dial soap and saline solution as directed, and have continued to do so since.
I've had my nipple piercings for 5 weeks now. The past couple weeks I have noticed a bit of lymph, but no other changes. I have been told that lymphing is a totally normal part of the healing process. I highly recommend getting this done to anyone that desires to do so. The pain is minimal, and the healing process is easy if directions from the piercer are followed closely. I can't wait to be able to move up to a larger gauge of rings!