If you've been a mother, you'd clearly remember the doctor asking you to remove nail polish just before entering the labour room.
I was unaware about this particular rule and I had got a manicure and pedicure done just a couple of days before delivery and had chosen a bright shade of red to colour my nails.
But to my surprise just before I entered the labour room, the nurse came and removed the nail paint and as she was using plane acetone to remove it my feet were all red before delivery which irked me like anything.
While this incident might make you laugh, the truth is there is a solid reason behind removing nail polish before you enter the labour room, especially if you are going for a C-Section. Here's why.
The real reason
Whenever you are undergoing any kind of surgery or a C-section delivery, you have to remove your nail polish. This is because during surgery doctors track vital signs such as your heart rate, blood pressure and the amount of oxygen in your blood.
For this, a sensor is placed on your fingertip, which measures the oxygen levels in your blood by passing red light through your finger nails. This is done through a device which is known as a pulse oximeter, which helps in monitoring of the oxygenation of a patient’s haemoglobin.
It must be mentioned her that the nail bed is the best place to detect cyanosis (discolouration of the skin) due to low oxygen levels. The oximeter works by shining light through your finger nail and measuring how much light is absorbed. The more the light absorbed, the more is the level of oxygen in your blood.
Your nail polish may hinder this monitor to work effectively and may act as a deterrent, reducing the effectiveness of this monitor. This is the reason why acrylic nails and nail polish of any kind are asked to remove before delivery or for that matter before any kind of surgery.
While it is not that common in India, but many doctors also do not allow pregnant women (and other women in general) to wear makeup during a C-section or a surgery as the make up masks the real colour of the skin of the patient, which makes it difficult for the doctors to gauge the condition of the patient.
Also Read: 5 everyday products that you should not use during pregnancy
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