Anyone who's suffered a miscarriage knows the experience is one that stays with a mother forever, so it's only fitting that more and more women are choosing to honor their losses with an equally permanent type of memorial: miscarriage and infant loss tattoos. Sweet and sad, these designs speak for so many. And what better way to celebrate these brief lives than with a beautiful design that never goes away? The beautiful thing about tattoos is that they can be meaningful and symbolic in whatever way the person getting tattooed wants them to be.
These beautiful mamas got tattoos to commemorate the children that they loved and lost. Some of them are big declarations of their sorrow, others small gestures of pain. But no matter what, these tattoos are ways that women tell the journey of their own fertility and motherhood. Each tattoo is a personal piece of what it means to be a mother. And maybe getting these personal mementos helped them heal after loss as they paid tribute to a time in their lives that was undoubtedly difficult but ultimately shaped their lives forever.
We never know what another mom might need to help her heal after losing a baby. For some it's time, and for others it's something more permanent and artistic. Check out some of the loveliest tattoos we've ever seen on mamas we want to support. Having this art with them forever has to mean so much to all of them.
Surrounded by Flowers
This simple line art miscarriage awareness tattoo creates a moving memorial next to these vibrant purple flowers. Although what really represents the loss is the black and red design, the flowers really add something extra to it with such a pop of color.
In This Together
These matching tattoos hold beautiful meaning for this couple's shared losses. "… this man has been my rock. He's the biggest support system I have. And he's also suffered the same losses as me. This tattoo holds so much meaning for us and I couldn't be more proud to display it on my arm and share it with my other half."
Two Hearts
Here's a simple but sweet double heart tattoo in honor of miscarriage awareness, which could be perfect for anyone who likes to take a more minimalist route when it comes to a new tattoo. A delicate reminder that goes with mom everywhere.
Waiting for a Rainbow
This line drawing of a pretty primrose is adorned in all the hope and colors of a rainbow. Though it's widely understood that the baby who is born after a miscarriage is known as a rainbow baby, this tattoo could still just be a pretty flower without having to explain anything at all.
Baby's Breath
This mom got baby's breath tattooed beneath her clavicle in honor of her loss. Such a beautiful symbol, which happens to be delicate and detailed all at the same time. The placement of this tattoo is pretty, too.
The Hardest Goodbye
The words above this gorgeous watercolor tattoos say it all, don't they? This miscarriage memorial piece was done in honor of the hardest kind of goodbye, indeed, featuring a date that this mama will likely always remember for the rest of her life.
The One We Lost
This gorgeous pink heart with with blue angel wings tattoo memorializes the pain of heartbreak and loss while also incorporating the colors of miscarriage awareness. This Instagram photo includes the hashtag #fortheonewelost.
Fly Away Butterfly
Combining the pink-and-blue miscarriage ribbon with a whimsical butterfly design, this one represents a spirit set free to soar. While some moms might prefer a tattoo that features angel wings, these wings are a great choice, too.
In My Heart Forever
Another meaningful twist on the miscarriage ribbon, this one incorporates a heart and a tiny bird. This ribbon means so much to so many moms who have experienced loss, but this tattoo goes to show exactly how much it can be personalized to be even more meaningful than that.
Earth Angel
A constant reminder of how precious life truly is, this tattoo features a baby with angel wings along with the words, "Too beautiful for earth." It's impossibly difficult to face a miscarriage, but this is a sweet way to think about a baby who is gone too soon.
My Blueberry
This blueberry tattoo has very special significance to its wearer. She explains, "People compare [the growing baby] every week to the size of fruits or vegetables … I have wanted a blueberry because that's what we called my little angel before miscarriage at 8 weeks." Both touching and heartbreaking.
Blowing in the Wind
Every seed floating on the breeze is meant to represent another loss — far more than anyone should have to go through while trying to conceive a child. As sad and heartbreaking as this tattoo is, it also happens to be just as beautiful.
Saving Grace
Like the song says, "Baby, I can feel your halo/Pray it won't fade away," and for this lady, it's likely it never will, especially not with this permanent representation of the baby she lost. From the tiny footprint to the halo to the wings, all the details are special.
Baby Mine
This combination heart and baby footprint truly tugs at the heartstrings, and it's such a creative take on two things that many of these tattoos often features as symbols of such a heartbreaking loss. This is a sweet reminder she'll have with her forever.
Footprints on My Heart
Another variation on the heart/footprints theme, this very personal design even incorporates a date — not like that's something this mother would forget. Still, it's a sweet, beautiful way to commemorate something that this lady had to experience.
Never Let Go
This heartfelt tattoo gives new meaning to the term "angel on my shoulder" as it includes a phrase that many moms have identified with when it comes to their own losses: "Never in my arms, forever in my heart."
Little Wing
The adorable bird comes bearing a gift — the ribbon of remembrance. This tattoo just goes to show that there are so many ways to incorporate the miscarriage awareness ribbon in a tattoo that are all so different and so unique.
Love Lasts
Here's another take on the miscarriage ribbon theme, featuring love, lace, and knowing that some things will always have a place in a mom's heart. Such a pretty, detailed way for this mom to remember her loss with a tattoo that lasts forever.
The Missing Piece
Here, this lady chose to memorialize her miscarriage by using a pineapple to symbolize it — along with a small heart cut out of the bottom of it. It just goes to show that a tribute like this can be anything that's meaningful to the person getting the tattoo, even if it happens to be a fruit.
Baby's Birth Stone
This is such a sweet way to remember a baby who's been lost — by incorporating their birth stone into the tattoo. This emerald tattoo symbolizes a baby who would have been born in May in the shape of a heart, and it turned out as a beautiful way to keep the baby's memory alive, even if the little one isn't on Earth.
What If?
This tattoo features one heart inside of the other, representing the mom and baby, along with splashes of pink and blue, the colors of the miscarriage awareness ribbon. The phrase, "You will always be my favorite what if," really encapsulates that feeling of wondering what could have been.
A Mom & Her Angel
There's so much to love about this tattoo, from the splashes of color in the background to how the silhouette of the mom holding her baby (who has angel wings) really communicates everything that needs to be said about why this tattoo art is so important, along with what would have been he baby's due date.
A Floral Ribbon
While the miscarriage awareness ribbon seems to be a popular theme among women who choose to get tattoos to represent this difficult time in their lives, this take is definitely a unique (and beautiful one). Instead of an actual ribbon, it's made up of small blue and pink flowers along with leaves and stems.
Angel Footprints
It can definitely be hard to come up with the perfect way to memorialize a loss like this in ink forever, but this is a simple, low key way to accomplish this. A tiny pair of footprints accompanied by a halo? It's sweet and minimalist for anyone who wants to keep their new tattoo small.
Never Forgotten
This mom chose to memorialize her baby with a heart featuring pink and blue splashes, along with her baby's initials. She's definitely not the only one out there who knows the feeling of a baby never being in her arms but staying in her heart forever, and this is a great way to share it.
All of the Love
As the caption on this Instagram post explained, all of these posts symbolize the babies this mom has given birth to and lost — the bigger hearts are the children who are living, while the smaller ones represent the ones she miscarried. Such a sweet way to pay tribute to something so important to her.
In Remembrance
This tattoo is so beautifully done, and perfect for any mothers who want to remember their loss in a small but still striking way. The watercolors look so good over this heart design, which features the outline of a baby who will likely remain forever in their mom's heart, too.
A Matching Set
Sharing the loss with a partner? These matching tattoos might be a good way to remember the baby that could have been, featuring a heart with angel wings and a halo in two different styles. As the caption on this post says, "A part of us lives in heaven."
Baby's Heartbeat
This mom shared her tattoo in honor of what would have been her child's fifth birthday. Here, she chose to represent her loss with her baby's heartbeat. It can be so hard to find out that heartbeat is gone, but it's sweet that she found a way to keep it with her forever.
A Moon & Stars
In the caption of this post, the woman with this tattoo explained that it featured "three stars for three missing," depicting a motherly moon and a baby in her orbit. This is such a pretty piece that communicates so much without saying any words at all.
