I am currently 26 weeks (and 2 days) along in my first pregnancy, and I have just recently come to the conclusion that my wedding rings are going to have to come off soon. I don’t know if I’m gaining wieght again, or if I’m just starting to notice the snugness of my rings. We are going to go out this weekend to Wal-Mart or Sears or something and buy a plain band for me to wear for the duration of my pregnancy. I tried to just not wear my wedding rings today, but it felt to weird for my finger to be bare (we’ve been married for 4 1/2 years), and I crammed them back on.
Was this ever an issue for you ladies? How did you handle it?
Congrats! I remember that I had to remove my wedding band around 7 mos along. I had edema, looked like I had little weiners for finger and toes. Feet swelled so much all I could wear were my Birks, with outrageously colored socks. Anyway, at the time (and now) I had/have a beautiful right-hand 3-stone ring which is a tad big. I just put that ring on my left hand and left the right bare.
Of course, I’m just way too concerned with what other’s think, so I didn’t want people looking at my bare left hand and thinking that I was an unwed mom-to-be. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Of course not!
My son was born in July and by the last few months the heat and water retention made taking off the ring necessary. I was more worried about leaving it on too long and it getting stuck on then not wearing it, so each night I would try to take it off as a test and when it was getting pretty hard to get off and on I just put it away. I didn’t replace it with anything but the perma-tan line and ring-shaped groove plainly said to all “A ring used to be here.” So I guess if people were concerned enough to look they could still tell that at least I was married when the child was conceived. I joked to my husband that now that I didn’t have to wear my wedding ring anymore I was going out on the town, baby! He looked at my 8 months pregnant self and said “go ahead.” That’s just the kind of love we share.
I think taking off rings is common enough in pregnancy that most people who have children wouldn’t assume anything anyway, if that is what you are worried about. It did take some getting used to - I would feel for the ring random times during the day, and all in one second realize it was gone and panic before realizing why. Then 10 minutes later, repeat. It was a few weeks after the birth before I could wear it comfortably again.
Heh–I had the same issue. I just didn’t feel right not wearing a ring and worried what people would think, even though I realized it was silly. I was also around 7 months when I got too swollen, so we went to a pawnshop and got me a cheapie ring to wear for the next few months.
I’m not in any way concerned about “what people think” - it just physically feels weird to not have these things on.
Geobabe, I like the idea of a pawn shop ring. What did yours cost? I can get a new one for like $70 at Wal-Mart, but if I can save a few bucks, I will.
I never had to take mine off. You might want to bring up the issue with your OB. There may be changes in diet or activity that could make you more comfortable.
Well, I certainly wasn’t at an “ideal weight” when I got pregnant (185), and I tipped the big 200 at my last appointment. But I’ll ask. For now, I’ve got to do something.
With Dweezil, I think I took 'em off at 6 months or so. Then I went to a local shop and bought a cheap plain gold band - 40 or 50 bucks - that I jokingly called my “unwed mother ring”, so I’d have something to fidget with.
With Moon Unit, I had to lose the rings by 4 months - edema was much worse that time around. Of course I wound up developing pre-eclampsia so evidently that was an early symptom.
The annoying part was even though I immediately lost all the pregnancy weight (as in, with a week), I couldn’t fit my real wedding ring on again - apparently my fingers got “stretched out” by the edema. I finally got my wedding ring on again when I’d dropped an additional 20 pounds (as in, 20 pounds less than when I got pregnant) before the ring was wearable. So I wore the cheap gold band from the first pregnancy for a number of years,
The day I found out I was pregnant I slipped my ring off once to make sure I could get it off, and never took it off again. I’d heard the horror stories about having to have rings cut off before delivery, or that you wouldn’t be allowed to wear them if you went into surgery, but none of that happened. I did gain a lot of weight with each pregnancy, and never ever was able to remove my ring…ever. When I got divorced, I had to have it cut off. But it was never uncomfortable, or painful…I gained weight around it, like a tree band. When I had it cut off, that section of my finger was much skinnier! I even had doctors check to make sure it wasn’t too tight…it always rotated on my finger. I have a permanent scar there…more of an impression…that serves as a lasting reminder of what was supposed to be a permanent love. Someday I hope to cover it with another ring. I’ve lost almost all that weight now, so a ring in a normal size would fit.
The only bad thing about not ever being able to remove my rings was that if I peeled oranges, the oils would get under the rings and irritate the skin, so I was just careful about rinsing my hands well after peeling oranges.
I took it off as soon as it got uncomfortable (can’t remember exactly when, I’ve got two kids now and my brain doesn’t function as well as it used to). I wore both my wedding ring and engagment ring on a chain around my neck.
I couldn’t care less what people might have thought about it. If they couldn’t make the pregnant/swollen hands/swollen feet connection, then that was their problem. No one ever appeared to think I was unmarried and pregnant.
Exactly - except I just left my rings in a drawer. Took a long while before I could wear them again anyway.
/total aside, can’t help blabbing about pregnancy - Avarie537, I hope nobody’s been pressuring you to lose weight while pregnant. Doing so is extremely dangerous to your baby. I weighed about the same as you when I became pregnant w/my twins - and I was 38 yrs old. I gained 45 lbs. or so (they wouldn’t tell me at the end). But it was a fairly healthy, uneventful pregnancy and my babies were born at a good time and weight. Just listen to your body, rest & stay hydrated.
I’m 30 weeks now and I’m still able to wear mine (barely). I think it was about this time in my last pregnancy that they came off. I got used to it after about a week. After I actually gave birth, I kept my engagement ring off and just wore my wedding band because I was so freaked about scratching the baby with it. I didn’t start wearing it again until he was almost a year old.
With both pregnancies I started to get puffy around 7 months and took my rings off then. I went to Macy’s or some place and bought the cheapest, ugliest and most garish ring I could get, and wore it the rest of both pregnancies.
I have one friend who had to get her rings cut of and both before and after her pregnancies she might might be a size 2. And is the healthiest eater I know. So weight alone isn’t a deciding factor. She just had a lot of edema.
I joked to my husband that now that I didn’t have to wear my wedding ring anymore I was going out on the town, baby! He looked at my 8 months pregnant self and said “go ahead.” 
That’s just the kind of love we share.