15 Breastfeeding Tattoo Ideas That Are So Meaningful

In honor of all of the late nights you spent awake, just you and your baby, you can add the moon and stars to your breastfeeding tattoo. This whimsical design by French tattoo artist Virginie.B has an abstract feel that uses plenty of color to illustrate a sweet nighttime feeding moment.

One way to personalize your breastfeeding tattoo is to incorporate a meaningful or powerful phrase about motherhood or your nursing experience into your tattoo artwork. This design by tattoo artist Taryn McElvany has the phrase “Mothers are magic” emblazoned on a scroll below a portrait of a mother breastfeeding her baby.

If you want to go all-out with your breastfeeding tattoo, a portrait illustration of you and your baby is a stunning way to capture the moment. You’ll want to take a photo to your tattoo artist for this so they can study the details and the tattoo will likely take multiple sessions to complete, but the end result is well worth it. This piece by tattoo artist Josh Walker is a fantastic example of how a portrait’s details can be artfully displayed on your body in tattoo form.

When considering placement for a breastfeeding tattoo, on your ribcage area right below one of your breasts is a super sentimental choice. In some breastfeeding positions, this might even be the area where your baby laid as they nursed. This breastfeeding tattoo by artist Alessandro Scar is a great example of ribcage placement with a colorful and splashy background.

Another part of your body that’s just perfect for breastfeeding tattoo placement is the part you likely used to cradle your baby as they nursed — your forearm. As showcased by this abstract breastfeeding tattoo by artist Ina Aaltonen, a simple illustration can fit perfectly right below the crook of the elbow.

If you want a small breastfeeding tattoo, choosing a fine line style is a great way to go. From Phoenix tattoo artist CZ Fineline, this breastfeeding tattoo is just one example of how stunning a fine line outline of you and your baby can look. The floral details even seem to be growing around mom and baby in this example that also includes a date below the image.

Whether you breastfed for days or years, you can mark the passage of time with a breastfeeding tattoo that includes the dates of when you started and stopped nursing. You can use Roman numerals, stack the dates on top of one another, use color, or make the tattoo as small or large as you’d like. This is one breastfeeding tattoo idea that’s super versatile.

Another way to showcase a portrait of yourself breastfeeding your baby in tattoo form is with a simple, but realistic outline. Done with a single needle, this design by New Jersey tattoo artist Chelsea Warriner is one example of how a portrait can be transformed into a minimalist fine line tattoo with just the right amount of detailing to bring the image to life.

If a snapshot of your real-life experience includes your older child loving on you and your baby while nursing, getting a breastfeeding tattoo that includes them is a beautiful way to pay tribute to this fleeting time period of your life. This example by tattoo artist Emilia Handpoke is a gorgeous example to draw inspiration from.

If you’re looking for ways to capture your breastfeeding journey without an actual portrait, consider an abstract nursing tattoo design. From tattoo artist Trisha Helsel, this abstract breastfeeding tattoo uses flowers in place of the mom’s hair in a touching tribute. Though this design features flowers, you could choose another type of image to add to an abstract outline that’s meaningful to you or perhaps choose to add your baby’s birth flower.

If you want to capture the wide range of emotions that go along with breastfeeding — the ups, the downs, and everything in between — a faceless design that doesn’t have any expression can portray this beautifully in a breastfeeding tattoo. This custom design by Mim Theyer also features an array of blooming flowers around a nursing mother and child.

One of the simplest breastfeeding tattoo ideas is to just get a simple phrase that describes your journey tattooed in a beautiful script. Perhaps something like “we did it together” or “always remember” could symbolize the path that you and your baby took while nursing. Pick something special and meaningful for you and get it tattooed on your wrist, ribcage, or breastbone to remember where your baby was while you nursed.

At first glance, this breastfeeding tattoo by artist Luis E. Birruete just looks like a greyscale bouquet of flowers, but upon closer inspection, a nursing mom and her infant can be seen among the blooms. If you have an existing piece and want to add a breastfeeding element, this is one way to do it. Or, you can start from scratch and find a unique way to incorporate nursing into your design.

Breastfeeding is pretty much a full-body experience — you use your arms to hold your baby, your whole body works to produce milk, and you can’t do much else with the rest of your body while you’re doing it. So, it makes sense to go with a full-body outline like this example from Mimïnk. Think of it like a snapshot of you and your nursing baby in your most natural state.

When you breastfeed, the nutrients that your baby needs to grow come straight out of your own body. It’s such a miracle, and there’s no better way to capture the spirit of how you nurtured your baby in this way than with a tattoo that honors the process. This breastfeeding tattoo by artist Stvn Geyer looks almost like the mom and baby are growing out of a collection of wildflowers and it’s just gorgeous.