Breast Milk Jewellery has become the latest obsession for mothers who wish to remember their journey of bonding with their little one.
Preethy Vijay, founder of an online venture that creates breast milk jewellery, says, “We have learnt how important breast milk is for a baby and the role it plays for a woman and how people struggle through it. There are mothers who tell us, ‘I’ve struggled for years to feed my baby and that is why I want to get this jewellery made. I want to cherish it for a long time. ’”
Talking about why people want to get this kind of jewellery, Kavitha Parameswaran, founder of a brand which specialises in handcrafting 3D casting of one’s memories, adds, “Breast milk is like a mother’s blessing for her baby. Customers tell us that they want to get these made as it would always accompany the child – like a mother. Some also want to freeze the memory of breastfeeding.
While breastfeeding can be challenging, many see it as an opportunity to bond with their babies and a memory they want to retain. Reshma Sheik, mother of a one-year-old, adds, “The breastfeeding bonding that I shared with my first baby was amazing and I wanted to remember it. To cherish this journey, I looked for breast milk jewellery on social media. Breastfeeding can be challenging but it also helps you bond with your child. I wanted to remember all those things and cherish this journey. In future as well, I would like to show this pendant to my daughter. I wanted to have the memory. ”
Priya Rajiah, mother of a two-year-old, says, “I went through many stages – from pregnancy to bringing up a baby – but I thought of getting a keepsake made for my breastfeeding stage. So, I thought of getting something that I can wear occasionally, as a memory.
THE PROCESS OF MAKING BREAST MILK JEWELLERY
Collect 10-20ml of breast milk
Add food grade chemicals
Allow it to dehydrate
Once dry, crush it into powder
Mix in high-quality resin
Pour it in desired jewellery mould
Talking about the widening market demand for such memorabilia, and, Kavitha says, “In 2017-18 the numbers of orders we received were very good, however, with COVID-19 the orders ran low. But now the orders have started picking up again. As far as the customer base goes, parents are usually very enthusiastic about the product. ”
Preethy adds, “As of today when it comes to breast milk jewellery, it’s completely social media dependent in India. The number of orders is constantly increasing. We have been making breast milk jewellery for five years now. When we started out, we used to get about five orders per month, now we get around 35-40. Although, during the pandemic, we didn’t do many promotions and the orders went down. ”
Men are placing orders too
Since the taboo around breastfeeding and breast milk is breaking, even men are now interested in getting this journey eternalised. Preethy Vijay, founder of an online venture that creates breast milk jewellery, says, “Initially, we only had women placing the orders but now, we also have men place orders for their wives. ” Sharing how even older generations are appreciating this process, Preethy adds, “This generation is always looking for new ways to create memories – be it maternity shoots or breast milk jewellery. But we have also seen people of older generations appreciating these and it’s touching. In fact, we have had grandparents submitting the samples, who would say, ‘We didn’t have such a thing when we were breastfeeding our kids, else we would’ve gotten these made as well. ’”
Kavitha shares that this is an age-old process – preserving umbilical cord or breast milk. She adds, “Most of the time when husbands get in touch with me, they seek to get matching rings made for themselves as well. It’s interesting that they also want to wear breast milk jewellery. ”
For orders contact Breastmilk Jewellery by LA MEMOIRE
+91 99528 34664