Miscarriage Tattoos that are Meaningful for Mom

Poppy Tattoos for Early Loss

Symbolism

• Poppies represent remembrance
• The size of a poppy seed is the same size of an early pregnancy

While poppies have represented remembrance and regeneration for centuries, their meaning has updated with time.

Kayla says, “I had my miscarriage sometime between 4 and 8 weeks. It was the size of a poppy seed, so I got a tattoo of a poppy flower in honor of our baby that didn’t get to bloom.” The full, vibrant poppy blossom on her back is a beautiful reminder of her little one.

Forget-Me-Nots

Symbolism

• Forget-me-nots for remembrance
• Colors chosen for loss months

While forget-me-nots usually come in blues and pinks, Rachel chose the colors of her tattoo to recognize the months she lost her angels. Another sweet bit of symbolism in this inking: While the two flowers represent the two losses she and her husband experienced, her tattoo artist added two small buds above, not realizing that Rachel had lost two pregnancies before her marriage.

Bouquet Using Victorian Flower Meanings

Symbolism

• Marigold for passion and bravery
• Honeysuckle for an everlasting bond and unbreakable love
• Narcissus (daffodil) for hope and rebirth

Charissa wanted to use flower symbolism (used for hundred of years!) to represent her three losses. Her first baby, due October 2018, is symbolized by the marigold. The honeysuckle is for her daughter Persephone, due June 2019.

Finally, a pregnancy that was due Christmas Day 2019 is represented by a narcissus for hope and rebirth. While these losses were all painful, Charissa was given new hope after finally being referred to a fertility specialist.

Charissa and her husband had their rainbow baby in early April 2020. As terrible as these losses were, Charissa writes that she is, “incredibly grateful for what they have taught me, and how they’ve given me a renewed sense of appreciation for [her fourth] pregnancy.”

Due Date Birth Flowers

Symbolism

• April’s birth flower is the sweet pea
• January’s birth flower is the snow drop

Many mothers choose to use their children’s due dates to symbolize their miscarriages. Marissa got this tattoo for the two early losses she had before her son. One was due in April, and the other in January.

Note: There is more than one flower for each month (for example, April can be symbolized by both the daisy or the sweet pea). Choose the one that resonates most with you!

Living Child and Miscarriage Bouquet

Symbolism

• Poppy flower to remember a miscarriage
• Honeysuckle is the birth month flower for June

Katie combined her living child and her first miscarriage for her tattoo. She says, “I got the little poppy flower for my first miscarriage, and the honeysuckle for my living son born in June.”

Katie is considering adding to this art, or possibly getting a completely different tattoo to commemorate her experiences since this image was inked. She’s had 5 more losses between her son and her second living child, a daughter born in August of 2023.

Intertwined Flowers for Twins

Symbolism

• Two flowers for twin daughters
• The birth flower for August is the poppy

For mothers who heartbreakingly have to say goodbye to twins, a pair of intertwined flowers may be a lovely way to remember them. As Rachel explained, “This is the tattoo that I got for my twin girls who I had to say goodbye to via tfmr (termination for medical reasons) in August. As I wasn’t sure what the actual due date would be due to the high risk, we went with the poppy August birth flowers.”

Butterfly Carrying Your Earthside Child

Symbolism

• The half butterfly represents the beauty of pregnancy with the grief of miscarriage
• Letter E represents her rainbow baby’s first name
• Wrist placement was chosen so the tattoo was visible every day

Kerry found a beautiful way to symbolize both her loss and the daughter she has with her, all in one tiny tattoo. She says, “I decided to get the tattoo because I wanted [this baby] in way to be a visible/physical part of me… I sort of think of it as the butterfly carried E to us, and that our two babies are always connected in this way.”

Even sweeter? Kerry notes, “In the photo I’m holding E’s hand… A moment that I doubted for a long time would ever happen.”

Bird Flying Away

Symbolism

• Birds on brand represent parents
• Bird flying away represents loss

Krista loves her tattoo because it represents her self and her husband watching their loss fly away. Simpler tattoos like these can often be modified as your story continues.

Birds Including Living Children and Miscarriages

Symbolism

• Three birds on a branch are mother, father, and son
• Each bird flying away represents a loss

This is a similar tattoo to above, but includes a living child. Christine is considering adding two more bird to it to represent the two miscarriages she’s experienced since having this inked.

Different Birds for Different Types of Losses

Symbolism

• Mother, father, and daughter are represented by birds on the branch
• Small bird to left represents a chemical miscarriage
• Other 5 flying birds are later losses

In this tattoo, Clara, her husband, and her living daughter are on the branch, and the birds flying away represent the pregnancies lost to miscarriage. The tiny bird on the left is representative of an early chemical pregnancy.

Clara writes that she initially didn’t include it because a chemical loss occurs so early in pregnancy, and she didn’t feel like it counted. But when she had the other birds added, she decided that it needed to be there as part of her journey. 

Note: At Undefining Motherhood, we believe all losses count. Your grief is valid.

Expectant Rainbow Tattoo

Symbolism

• Rainbows are often used to symbolize a baby born after miscarriage
• Colorless rainbow signifies hope for a baby after miscarriage

While many moms use rainbow tattoos to celebrate a baby born after loss, others (like Courtney) are still waiting on their rainbow.

Courtney says, “This is my dark rainbow. Waiting to color it in whenever my rainbow comes.” She says she’s had 3 miscarriages in one year, and this tattoo is a great reminder of her and her partner’s end goal.

Size of Your Baby Tattoo

Symbolism

• Baby was the size of a strawberry at the time of loss
• Tattoo is a reminder without being as obvious or painful to remember

Shannon said that when she and her partner decided on their strawberry tattoos, she “wanted something that would honor the situation and loss of our baby, but not be too sad to look at every day.”

Shannon chose a strawberry because that was the size of her little one when they were lost (at least according to pregnancy apps). And she appreciates being able to keep some privacy while still wearing a remembrance of her baby on her skin. “No one will ask me why I have [this strawberry], but our family knows.”

Simple Heart and Bird Tattoo

Symbolism

• Heart for love
• Bird flying away for lost baby

Sometimes delicate line art can be best. Allison says, “This is my miscarriage tattoo I got in Key West shortly after losing my Samuel at 15 weeks. It’s simple, but so precious to me!”

Tiny Elephant Tattoo

Symbolism

• Elephants are associated with remembrance
• Simple line-art evokes a child-like feel

When you’re expecting a baby, you may be looking forward to reading stories about adorable animals with your little one. That’s just one of the many things taken when you experience loss.

Jessica says, “I got this the afternoon after my last doctor’s appointment for my first loss. It felt like such closure and even today 4 years and 2 earth side children later, I still look at this and remember the one that changed my life.”

So if there’s a sweet baby animal you associate with the child you lost, it might inspire the next bit of ink you get.

Sprout Tattoo

Symbolism

• Sprout represents early pregnancy
• Sprout can also represent growth and hope for the future

Ciara says she was only 8 weeks along when she lost her first baby. She says she always “thought of the baby growing like a little plant sprout,” so she got a little sprout tattooed onto her her wrist so she could see it every day.

Ciara is now 33 weeks pregnant with her second baby. We’re excited that her sprout can also remind her to take hope for the future!

Angel Baby Tattoo

Symbolism

• Angel baby wings and halo
• Due date is listed below

Many parents refer to their pregnancy loss as their “angel baby.” Dafne says, “My husband and I decided to honor our angel baby on what was supposed to be the due date by getting this tiny but mighty tattoo.”

This simple and powerful line art is a perfect way to show that you’ll always remember your little one.

Date Tattoos

Symbolism

• Roman numerals for date of loss
• Baby bird flying away for lost little one
• Buds on branches to show hope for the future

A few months after Deanna’s miscarriage, she and her husband decided to get tattoos together to always remember their first baby. Deanna says, “It was therapeutic to do this together, and I like that ours are different but tell the same story.”

While Deanna chose a tattoo of a baby bird flying away, she specifically included flower buds on the branch where the parent birds rest. She explains, I wanted to include more life/positivity in [my tattoo], for hope for the future.

Deanna’s husband simply had the date of their loss inked in Roman numerals on his forearm. However, if you prefer to use the more typical Arabic numerals in your tattoo, that can look great too.

Words from a Loved One

Symbolism

• Each flower represents a baby (whether alive or gone) by birth month
• Hidden infinity sign represents parents’ relationship
• The small infinity sign links two living children, the daisy (April) and larkspur (July)

While Shelly’s birth flower bouquet is lovely on its own, it is more meaningful because of the words below it.

Shelley explains, “The words ‘This will always be home for you!!’ are words my Grandpa wrote on a flower card in 2011 while I was away at college and came back to their house one weekend because I was so homesick.  They mean so much to me with my flower bouquet because I have a little bit of each baby in my DNA, the only thing left of their physical being and I will always be their home. I also love this as a message for my boys, that no matter what I’ll always be here for you.” So much thought was put into this beautiful line art!

Encouraging Miscarriage Tattoo

Symbolism

• Double heart signifies multiple losses
• “Warrior” refers to battles with endometriosis and infertility

While honoring your little one is an important part of a miscarriage tattoo, it’s also an opportunity to honor yourself. That’s why we love this submission from Kelsey.

Referring to her two miscarriages, she writes, “I’ll always carry them.” She also chose to have the word “warrior” inked as a reminder of the battles shes done with endometriosis and infertility.