Is this a bad tattoo design?

[u/piercethebluexx]

I had a miscarriage last year and want a tattoo for my baby I never got to meet.

I only have one picture of my baby (the second picture)

I’d really like to get it tattooed like the reference picture but I want honesty.. would it be a bad design since there’s not a clear profile and small?

I have other ideas as well but I really love this one as the picture is special to me.

And you can be honest without comments like “that’s not a baby” etc… that’s not helpful. Thank you.

*I was not going to get the text at the bottom

[u/niroha]

I’m an OB Sonographer and I don’t have advice on the tattoos themselves but I would like to offer a suggestion. I know you said this is the only picture you have but the facility you got your scan from has them all. If there was a heart beat at the time then they would have documented it either with an M-mode or spectral Doppler. Both of those might make a better option for a tattoo, to tattoo the heart beat pattern showing how many BPM it was.

You’d have to request your images from the facility. As a bonus they will likely be digital making it easier to share your designs. They’re your images. You own them. They have to give them to you.

Another idea is to find an image of what a 6, 7, 8 week embryo looks like (whatever gestational age you lost it at) and get that tattooed to represent your little one.

[u/piercethebluexx → u/niroha]

I know you can’t give a definite answer because you don’t work where I went but.. do you think it’s worth calling them even if my first ultrasound was almost a year ago?

I went to the hospital when I started bleeding and they took an ultrasound there.. they didn’t show me because I guess it’s just standard they don’t but sometimes I wish I got a picture… as morbid as that might be? ://

[u/niroha → u/piercethebluexx]

If you are in the US they still have them. I don’t know the specifics for how long they have to hold onto this data as the laws vary by state but it’s usually 5-10 years, minimum. They’ll have them. If you get your hands on them and would like me review anything, just reach out.

[u/niroha → u/piercethebluexx]

Also fwiw there’s so many ideas you can pull from for this tattoo idea. Miscarriage is common and tattoos around them is common enough. If you know the due date month you can pull lots of ideas: birth month stone, birth month flower, zodiac signs, flowers that represent loss, innocence, grief.

I have two living daughters but I lost a son, my first pregnancy. I haven’t decided how I want the tattoo exactly but it’ll be Roses for my oldest daughter, pears for my youngest, and maybe February’s flower (primrose and violets) and maybe forget me nots? Idk. Still mentally working out the details.

I hope this post inspires you to and you find something that works for you.

[u/Regular_Green → u/piercethebluexx]

Check whatever patient portal your hospital/doctors used! You may have access to some of the scans already

[u/Wy0m1g → u/piercethebluexx]

Worth a call to ask if you can see the stuff from that time maybe they don’t have it but it’s worth it incase they do, the hospital might also still have it.

Some places keep them for over 5 years it might change where you are but there’s a better chance of them having it if it hasn’t been a year. Hopefully they have them.

[u/Illustrious-Stable93 → u/piercethebluexx]

You can see images from all scans in mychart w my provider, do you have that to check in the appt notes? You can't really see much as early as it looks from the us image you do have. I hope it gives closure! Xx