# Warning! Graphic: Question about skin tone of baby



## mollycce (Jul 7, 2005)

I have something that I have been wondering about for quite some time and finally decided to post and ask about. I've seen several memorial sites that include pictures of peoples' miscarried babies and I've noticed the skin tone of the babies is commonly very bright red. My own baby's skin was just pink--flesh tone--what does that mean? I keep thinking about it and wondering if it tells me something about when he died. I miscarried at 14w5d after finding out the day before that the baby was dead. I don't know exactly when he died though--I thought I'd felt him moving that same week (I usually feel my babies move really early and I'd felt movement several times for about 2 weeks prior to my miscarriage). He was about 4 inches, which is the right size for that gestation.

I know this is a weird question, but it something that keeps coming to mind and I feel like it means something somehow.


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## sew_crafty_girl (May 15, 2009)

My 13 wk old baby's skin was quite translucent.


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## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

I miscarried at 15 weeks and the baby looked perfect, with translucent pale pink skin. I don't think it signified anything, though.








for your loss.


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## StarMama (Jun 25, 2002)

I have no idea about if the coloring could mean anything, but I'm curious if you had photos taken? I know with Fiona, who was a full term loss, her skin looked just fine in real life until very late in the evening (she was born at 2:50pm, and we left her with the nurse at 11pm) but in the photos you can see discoloration on her forehead that honestly was not noticeable in the moment.

Can I take a moment here to have a giant huge temper tantrum to the universe about how mother's should NOT have to know about what their children's skin looks like after death?! It is horribly unfair to not just get to enjoy their natural healthy LIVING skin color.


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## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Mine was tan - but the baby had passed at 8.5 weeks and I didn't miscarry until 12.5 weeks, so I wasn't too surprised. My brother was a fullterm loss and he just looked normal (more towards pale than red or pink though he had bright red lips).


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## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Thinking about it, I wonder if the time between when the baby passes and you deliver has anything to do with it? Like if you deliver soon after the baby passes vs. days later.


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## mamatogirls (Nov 23, 2009)

I had my loss at 18 weeks 2 day, however I know she was gone for at least a week prior to having her. When she came out her skin tone was more normal looking. I didn't get to hold her again until about 6-7 hours later and by that point her skin was red and more translucent. It was actually extremely upsetting to me b/c I knew now that since she had been delivered her body was starting to rapidly break down, she looked so different. In my experience it seems that the red can come from the babys body to starting to break down.


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## my-j-angel (May 10, 2004)

Our stillborn (26 weeks) was pretty dark. We're not sure when he passed but it had to be w/in 4 days of his birth. I just assumed his skin was still 'thin' so you could see the blood through it. I'm not sure.

I'm so sorry, it's not fair, so very not fair....








s


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## CherryBomb (Feb 13, 2005)

I'm not sure. I m/c my son at 16 weeks but he had died about 2 weeks before. His skin was very pale pink/translucent. IDK if it's because of the length of time between death and delivery or what.


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## organicpapayamama (Dec 5, 2008)

My dd passed at about 21 weeks gestation. Her skin was normal skin tone as well. Milky and beautiful. It was rather shiny. He head and face though were darker red mostly because of the birth. All the blood rushed to her head and was pushed up while I was pushing her out and it resulted in her head/ face being bruised.

btw, dd passed just hours before she was born if that... maybe even minutes. We cant be sure since were were not monitoring during labor. She was diagnosed with a fatal condition. What I do know is she was alive when I checked into the hospital.


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## mollycce (Jul 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StarMama* 
I have no idea about if the coloring could mean anything, but I'm curious if you had photos taken? I know with Fiona, who was a full term loss, her skin looked just fine in real life until very late in the evening (she was born at 2:50pm, and we left her with the nurse at 11pm) but in the photos you can see discoloration on her forehead that honestly was not noticeable in the moment.

Can I take a moment here to have a giant huge temper tantrum to the universe about how mother's should NOT have to know about what their children's skin looks like after death?! It is horribly unfair to not just get to enjoy their natural healthy LIVING skin color.

No kidding, StarMama









I was thinking it would tell me something about when he died, but it looks like it won't! It is one of those things that I think about EVERY day, so I finally posted.

Yes, we did take two pictures. One a couple of hours after he was born and then one when we buried him. When I look at the one taken when we buried him, so can see some mild spots of discoloration on his head and body that I don't see in the first picture (however, the first picture is blurry and there was a lot of blood on his body in that picture).


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

Lisa, amen to that!

At 19w4d Amelia's skin was very preemie like...redish and translucent. She looked more and more fetal like as the time we had with her passed. Also, she looked incredibly fragile. I wish that my memory of her would be more 'normal' baby looking but you know, her hands and feet are what I remember the most and they they were baby looking....just tiny.

This is a good thread Molly. There are so many posts with mama's terrified about seeing their babies and no one tells them what to expect. I was scared to death about the same thing, and had briefly considered a D&E because of that fear (something the Dr's were way too supportive of). I'm glad I had my midwife who kinda' forced me to not detach and to be ready to see my sweet girl. The pictures of Dh and I looking at Amelia always amaze me. There we are, parents of a dead baby laying in my arms, and we look just like any parents gazing at their new baby...looking at who's ears she has and in awe that we made a person.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

my only experience with stillbirth (not me, family member) was a loss at 41 wks. the baby passed 3 days prior to delivery. her skin was very red and her lips were very very dark. by the time we buried her 7 days later her lips were completely black.


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## jess_paez (Jul 5, 2008)

molly, my dd was born at 22 weeks exactly, she was alive until just before or just after i pushed her out. she was red/translucent. not sure what to make of it either or if it means anything.


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## momz3 (May 1, 2006)

My fullterm baby (39 weeks) had pale skin..and it was peeling...but that was because she was deteriorating inside me.


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## lisa_nc (Jul 25, 2008)

Molly, we lost our son around the same gestational time as yours. I felt him move just prior to his being born. It was a placental issue, so he was probably alive until very shorty before. His skin was shiny, pinkish, and translucent, except on his hands and his feet. They were red. It almost looked like he had bled under his skin. I also took pictures. I'd be willing to show them to you for comparison, if it would help. If it's weird that I offered that, just ignore me.


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## sadkitty (Jun 24, 2004)

Juniper died at 38 weeks and wasn't born until 39weeks 4 days. So he had a lot of peeling and bruising. His skin was purple-y red and his lips were very dark.
He also had a very mushy head. Did anybody else's full term baby have a mushy head?


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