Mom sparks backlash for piercing newborn’s ears in hospital

A mom has caused a stir on TikTok after revealing she pierced her newborn baby’s ears when she was just a day old.

The mother, who posts on the video-sharing app under the username @laraticaofficial, posted a clip of her daughter Lara on TikTok from when she was a newborn baby.

In a short clip — which has over a million views since it was posted last week — the mom reminisced about her 4-month-old daughter as a newborn baby, writing: “The time past too fast. Missing you being this small.”

“1 Day vs 4 months,” she added in a caption.

In the video, Lara is wearing small stud earrings in the hospital, just one day after her birth, before it switches to current footage showing her wearing silver hoops.

However, TikTok users noticed the baby’s earring in the video, sparking a discussion over her decision to pierce Lara’s ears.

“How did she get her ears pierced that young,” one user questioned.

“How is that ear piercing even legal?” questioned another.

Some users defended the mom, writing some people pierce a baby’s ears from birth as a part of their culture.

“In our culture/family, we also have ears pierced as soon as they are born,” one person wrote.

“My mum pierced my ears the day after I was born also! It’s great,” another user added.

“I pierced my daughter’s ear the second day after birth, so no big deal really,” another mother wrote.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says there’s little risk to the baby’s health if the piercing is done carefully, and aftercare is vital. The AAP does recommend waiting until a child is old enough to take care of the piercing themselves and to watch out for any complications.