Weekend Delights

This morning as Booby and I rode the El to work, I read the Metro and he read over my shoulder. I arrived at the Friday weekend section and was thrilled to discover a write-up for the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention. I've attended this show in the past and always had an interesting time. The last time I went, I found an artist I really liked, Leonie Bauer, and she ended up doing the piece on my lower back. From what I can see Leonie is now calling herself Leonie Grande; I suppose a better stage name was in order. "Grande" makes me think either Taco Bell or Cosi, though.

So plans were made to attend on Sunday (the convention runs all weekend, but I am meeting up with the lovely Arabella and her friend C.S. tomorrow to wreak havoc on Chinatown: fertility tea and dim sum are the orders of the day. Squeee!), and all was well. I was looking forward to the possibility of covering over the prison ink on my upper arm (inflicted upon self via cheap tattoo parlor in 1992) until I received an instant message from my darling husband.

b00by: can you take a pregnancy test on Sunday?
teminy: why? are you afraid it will affect the pregnancy if there is one?
b00by: because-- yes. :(

Sigh. Last night he asked me not to have a glass of wine with my dinner, so I was a little irritated, but a quick trip on the internets proved that he was right:

You will be very interested to know that little to no information is available about the safety of skin dyes used for tattooing during pregnancy. It is possible that the chemicals in the dye may affect the development of the baby during the first 12 weeks, but the risks are unknown, as are any affects on the baby during the remainder of the pregnancy. It would probably by wise to delay having a tattoo done until after your baby is born.

This one had me feeling more than a little freaked:

Some women may have also heard that if they have a tattoo on their back, then they will be unable to get an epidural. Very few studies have been done on the risks that could exist for women who have back tattoos and receive an epidural. So far none of these studies have conclusively found any data that shows that there are risks, so most anesthesiologist have no problem giving an epidural to a woman with a back tattoo. If you are wanting an epidural and have a tattoo on your back, it still would be best to contact the hospital and find out what guidelines your doctor follows in regards to tattoos and epidurals.

Dude, I have a high threshold for pain, but one thing I know is that I cannot accomplish childbirth without painkillers. My mother has told me stories about delivering my siblings and me: "They put us in something called twilight sleep. It was great - I didn't remember a thing. I woke up and they put a baby on my chest!" Keep in mind that my mother smoked and drank through all of her pregnancies with her doctor's blessing. And my mother is not a moderate person when it comes to vice. Anyhoo, let's hope that if indeed I ever spawn, I am allowed to be given that foot long needle.

So, no matter what happens on Sunday, I'm headed for disappointment. Either I'll have a negative result, and console myself with a tattoo, or I'll have a positive result and have to forego a tattoo.

The latter option might not be so bad. I can wait another year.