A new trend surfaced earlier this year among mothers of newborns and has stirred up controversy among social network interactions, family discussions, and the news. What’s this trend you ask? Breast milk jewelry. Yep, you read that right! If your reaction was anything like mine, I was surprised.
Some jewelry designers have come up with a way to preserve breast milk, turn it into a clay form and display it in beautiful lockets or beads to be worn for years after your child has stopped breast-feeding, grown up and having children of their own. Not comfortable with the thought of someone you do not know handling your breast milk? No problem, you can purchase DIY kits and preserve it yourself.
You can find these jewelry artists on Etsy just type in breast milk jewelry. You will find over 100 listings for breast milk jewelry. Apparently the trend has caught on with some new mothers. Maybe these designers were onto something..
Mothers save their children’s first tooth, hair from their first haircut, baby clothes and shoes, small toys, stuffed animals, and now breast milk…
Some people find this growing trend to be meaningful and sweet, other’s find it down right disgusting. I am one who falls in with the latter crowd. When I have children I will stick to their picture in a locket, but as the saying goes to each their own.
What is your opinion? Do you think this is a trend worth keeping, or should we find another way to preserve those precious memories?
*Photo credited to MilkMomBaby*
For more information check out some news articles by clicking here and here.
As a momma that nursed 3 kiddos for 6-7 years total I can’t imagine giving up that liquid gold for clay. While I don’t think it’s creepy after all people keep other body “items” (teeth, hair) around I wouldn’t spend the time to pump for a necklace. My tangible reminder of breastfeeding is my 3 monkeys…and the fact my breast fall into my armpits when I lay back. 😉
~Honey
I think it’s just plain weird. it is NOT on a par with saving a lock of their hair, their first tooth etc, it’s like saving a bit of the first banana they ate! As in… it’s ridiculous.
As I approach the weaning of my last child, the idea of preserving a drop or two of milk that has sustained four children appeals to me. Breastfeeding is one of the things I’m proudest of in my life, and a memento of that achievement would mean a lot to me.
I knew a woman who made earrings out of her “gallstones”; who came back to work and happily bobbed hear head about, making these “balls” dangling from her ears bounce as she came towards our table in the cafeteria. I of course took the bait and asked about her new earrings. I sat rather quiet on hearing her lengthy explanation on how she thought it would be great to make them – her new (not so much) earrings, after her surgery (I read magazines). As she finally toddled away to her own table to eat…I mentioned to my boss…”I thought they were her husbands balls.”
Garbage is garbage…especially the bio stuff. Let it go people. You don’t laminate a dirty diaper and put it on the wall, so why all this nonsense about breast milk, hair etc. Reality is: our kids DON’T CARE and DON’T WANT IT WHEN WE’RE GONE.
There is REAL BEAUTY all around us to behold, and please don’t go throwing the story about pearls at me; unless you really will throw pearls at me!
Cheers from Ontario Canada.
I’m with you. You breastfed? Congratulations; you’re a mammal. Take a photo of the kid and keep the bodily fluids out of your jewelery box.
But then, there are a lot of Etsy “artists” who do the same sort of things with menstrual blood, so I guess there must be a market somewhere.
If it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry and it means something to the wearer, does it really matter what it’s made out of? If it’s not your thing, then just don’t do it.
Honestly? As a parent one needs to know how and when to let go. I honestly think this sort of ‘holding on’ is very unhealthy.