The Heartwrenching Reason This Woman's Tattoo Is Going Viral
After Joan Bremer posted a photo of her newest tattoo to Imgur, it quickly went viral-and we can see why. While most tattoos have hidden meanings, Joan's tells the story of something that isn't usually talked about: About seven weeks into her pregnancy, she began to experience bleeding and cramping. Joan soon realized she was having a miscarriage.
"All of my tattoos represent a time or event in my life," Joan told WomansDay.com. "Even though this was a personal tragedy for us, I still wanted to be able to mark it in some way."
Joan says she had already told her friends and family that she was expecting a baby, so it made sense that she allowed them to share in the burden of her loss. The one single line represents an umbilical cord while the two hearts are mother and baby.
"My husband and I do like to think it represents the baby that we will always carry in our hearts even, while moving forward in our life as a couple and hopeful family," said Joan.
Her tattoo, by Joey at California Electric Tattoo, is inspiring women across the internet to chime in with their own stories of loss.
"Miscarriages are super, super common. It's time to end the stigma surrounding them and talk more about it when we talk about reproduction," commented kellyography, an Imgur user.
According to the Mayo Clinc, about 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. However, many miscarriages occur before a woman even knows she's pregnant.
"So many people have reached out and said that they have had miscarriages, but never talked about it," said Joan. "Being able to talk about it, share with other women, and hear other people's experiences has been extremely healing for me."
Joan and her husband plan to keep trying to conceive after her body heals. She one day hopes to give birth to a rainbow baby.
Follow Woman's Day on Instagram.
(h/t TODAY)
