One wonderful way of celebrating the hard work of breastfeeding is to have a piece of breast milk jewelry made. Here’s everything you need to know about how the process works!
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What is breast milk jewelry?
Breast milk artists can make necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets that include some sort of centerpiece made from a mother’s breast milk.
Usually, the artist will use a small amount of breast milk, which is mixed with chemicals to harden and then blended with resin so that it can be shaped into jewelry.
Why have breast milk jewelry made?
Lots of parents have it made to celebrate and remember the breastfeeding relationship – whether it takes the form of nursing, exclusively pumping, pumping as a surrogate or something else.
Breastfeeding takes a ton of time and dedication and is a labor of love, so it can be nice to have a lasting physical piece to remember it.
Below is an example of some breast milk jewelry that Kayla received after her twins, Landon and Cooper, were stillborn. Kayla pumped for a few months to donate to a friend, and the friend surprised her with this necklace that she can cherish forever to remember her boys.
How much milk do you need?
Usually a few tablespoons or about 15 ml (half an ounce). However, it will depend a bit on who is making it, as different artists may have slightly different requirements.
Can you use expired breast milk?
Yes, expired milk is fine (as it won’t be consumed). The milk can be years old as long as it’s not moldy.
Do you have to worry about your baby trying to eat your jewelry?
Your child will not be able to smell the breast milk. It is chemically preserved and dried to stabilize its unique color, turned into a fine powder, and then suspended as a pigment in jewelers grade art resin.
Some pieces are also coated with a UV resistant gloss coating, so breast milk powder is never exposed to the air, and will not give off any scent.
When should you get breast milk jewelry made, if you decide you want some?
You can do it any time! Many parents get it done near the end of their breastfeeding journey, as a way of celebrating what they’ve accomplished.
However, there’s no reason you can’t have it made at the beginning, or even years after the fact. You just need to have a few tablespoons of extra breast milk (even if it’s expired).
How long is breast milk jewelry expected to last?
With proper care, breast milk jewelry should last indefinitely.
What does “proper care” mean?
Always check the instructions that come with your jewelry or kit, but in general, you may want to remove your jewelry when it will come in contact with water (showering, swimming, washing your hands if you have a ring).
Additionally, you want to limit UV exposure and remove it before being out in the sun for long periods.
So where can you get it made?
I asked on instagram where people had had breast milk jewelry made that they loved.
Some of the artists included: Precious Relics, Honoring Motherhood, and Milk and Honey Breast Milk Jewelry.
You can buy DIY kits on Etsy as well.
What’s the bottom line?
After my son was born, exclusive pumping was a huge part of my identity as a new mom.
I think that part of this was the amount of time that exclusive pumping takes, and part of it was the complex emotions that I had around exclusive pumping – a combination of guilt that I wasn’t able to nurse and pride that I managed to stick with pumping for so long.
I think having a piece breast milk jewelry would have been a great way to celebrate my journey and process my emotions around it.
Have you had a piece of breast milk jewelry made? Tell us your experience in the comments!
(This post was originally a giveaway but has been updated to provide more current information on breast milk jewelry and remove outdated giveaway details.)
Comments & Chitchat
I’d love a pair of the rose earrings or one of the rings-though it’s hard to choose a design!
I’d select a pendant to go with my necklace I currently wear.
I would choose a ring.
I am currently pumping for my rainbow baby. I lost his big brother during delivery at 39 weeks. They are exactly 18 months and 1 day apart. When I was pregnant with my first son I had this whole plan of how breastfeeding would go, and obviously things don’t happen the way they should. With my second son, we started with exclusively nursing but by 2 months he wasn’t gaining weight as he should so I had to switch to pumping, it’s definitely not easy and I would love a piece of jewelry to honor this journey ?
I would choose a silver tree of life necklace.. these look really beautiful
I’d love the classic halo ring, especially if I could incorporate his birthstone. I also think the everlasting rose stud earrings are cute.
All of her pieces are beautiful. I would pick the European bead to go on my Pandora bracelet.
I would choose one of the beautiful rings!
I LOVE the baby bee pendant. My daughter’s nickname is bee!
I would choose a necklace that I could pass on to my daughter. She has had feeding issues since birth, and finally started fully breastfeeding at 9 mos and I have been proud to keep up my supply for her. It would commemorate our journey.
I’d chose the feather. It is so elegant and perfect for me. I’ve been through so much pre-pregnancy and having my daughter had truly let me expand my wings and fly to new heights I never once thought possible. Having a NICU baby was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through and I thought I wouldn’t make it but we did and life has been so good.
I LOVE the precious drop ring! So pretty!
Love the simple drop rings. What a neat way to remember such a selfless act.
The love in every drop pendant definitely encapsulates this pumping journey!
I love this idea!!! I would pick the Emma ring if I won! The teardrop shape is beautiful! It would be so special to have something that symbolizes the love, selflessness, hard work and commitment it took to exclusively pump for 9 months for my daughter! Congrats to all that have exclusively pumped and all that are still pumping! You got this!!!
I’d love a ring!
It’s hard to choose! I would get either the tree of life window locket pendant or the handwoven wire wrapped ring.
Wow, so
Many amazing options!
-tree of life window locket
I would choose the Ethereal Eternity Ring! Sooo stunning. Pick me!!!
I love the Briolette Droplet – a cool idea to celebrate all the hard work!!
I would absolutely cherish a ring. I have a ring on my left hand to symbolize my commitment to my husband. A ring on my right hand would symbolize my unconditional love for my baby girl— my only child and true miracle. We were able to EP for her first year of life, which was such a commitment and forever changed who I am. A ring to remember this season of my life would be wonderful. Thanks for doing this!
I would order the precious drop ring to symbolize all the hard work and pride I have for exclusive pumping for 3 full months and counting…
I love the wire wrapped droplet! Such a beautiful idea!
I would choose The Etheral Eternity ring. It is beautiful!
I would choose a pendant to wear as a necklace.
I would love a necklace
Love this! I’d choose a ring.
Yoir work is beautiful. I woukl choose a necklace for my baby girl.
I would choose the oval inclusion natural fiber bracelet for starters, but the more I look at the items the more I want! What a cool concept!!
This is really a beautiful and unique concept! ❤️ how it comes out! I’m also disappointed but proud of the fact that I’ve made it 2 months and counting, feeding my first newborn son my breastmilk! It was a 50/50 chance if I would be able to after having breast reduction/reconstruction surgery at 15! Definitely proud I was able to, even if I have to EP!
I always thought I was exclusively breastfeed. After my twin boys ended up in the nicu I ended up exclusively pumping because my boys had problems latching. I feel so blessed that I am able to provide my sons my breast milk.
I would love a precious drop ring! This is actually pretty cool to preserve a piece of all your hard work, time, and love.
Wow! Absolutely beautiful work. There are so many options but my favorite would be the stainless steel stacking rings. Thank you for your generosity in this wonderful giveaway
I would choose a ring!
The pieces are all wonderful but I would like a ring.
How would you choose just one? I’ll go by category:
Ring: precious drop ring
Necklace: wire-wrapped briolette droplet
Earrings: wire wrapped milk drop dangles
I don’t often wear bracelets, so that wouldn’t be practical. So because I do wear earrings everyday, I’d probably go with the earrings.
The wire wrapped droplet briolette is on my wish list! Just beautiful!
Any of them! Beautiful work and an awesome way to remember this crazy journey I’m on. I have a 6 month old CF’r so she really needs the BM because her body doesn’t digest food properly. The milk is so much easier on her, we had nursing issues so the hospital told me to try to pump for a week and here we are 6 months later.
I’d have a ring or the tree of life pendant. There are just too many beautiful choices!
I love the idea. I have some milk pumped from after a stillbirth and is love to have it forever. I’d choose a necklace
I’d have to choose the unicorn pendant for my daughter, Georgianna Kay’s (2) saved frozen milk, but then I’d have to put forth some of my money to also get the Rose pendant for my newborn Vivienne Rose. I couldn’t just do a piece for one of them, I want to remember this crazy journey of EP’ing for both of them! Even if I don’t win, I’m pretty sure I know who I’ll be getting my pieces made by now. Everything is beautifully made & affordable!
The rings are beautiful. I would chose a ring and earrings both with a drop shape. Reminds me of when I leak ?
I love the woodland bono ring.
While my bean is not an exclusively pumped baby, due to latch issues early on I was exclusively pumping for 2 months to get a supply after losing it the week after she was born (Lasix for high bp and premie not latching and no one telling me I needed to pump 8x a day min). We manage to get the milk supply up just as we discovered she had a dairy sensitivity and were able to avoid formulas by keeping at the pumping. Even after getting her to latch and now that she’s weaning, I still need to pump many times a day just to keep the supply up as she only wants mama’s milk when she’s sick. Which her monthly ear infections require my compliance…
Lol . I feel your exhaustion and the need to be recognized for this effort. I don’t think family and friends realize that pumping primarily is intense. And also why i give them grief when they ask why i have to pump so much during the day or when do I plan to stop.
And I believe I just vented…
These are wonderful ideas and I may ask my family to throw funds together for something for my Birthday at the end of the month or even mothers day. A reminder to me that I busted my butt to keep our little bean nourished. ❤
After struggling with infertility for years, a tough pregnancy which resulted in our twin girls being born 8 weeks early…then I had to add exclusive pumper for twins to that struggle. I will be getting a necklace to memorialize the journey that has enabled me.to exclusively pump for my twin girls for 9 months and going strong. Our goal is 12 months corrected (14 total momths of pumping for me) These pieces are amazing and unique!
Two hearts, one love. Beautiful!
I would love a droplet pendant. Such beautiful work!
Too many choices. I think my favorite is the wire art tree of life pendant.
Love this idea! Never heard of it before. The products are very beautiful! My favorite is the Cliete Feather Pendant.
Your work is absolutely beautiful! I’m so glad I came across your fb page! I would LOVE the baby bee pendant.
I never thought I’d be into breastmilk jewelry–the whole concept seemed kind of skeevy to me. But in the interest of keeping an open mind, I clicked onto Kristin’s page, and *wow*, the Rainbow Crown Ring just jumped out at me! I’m coming toward the end of my EP journey for my little guy who wasn’t able to effectively transfer milk when we first started out, and a year later he is thriving on what I was able to supply him. He is also my rainbow baby after three straight miscarriages, and probably the only child I’ll ever have (the other embryo that we would have frozen to be a sibling ended up being flawed, and for lots of reasons going through IVF again likely isn’t in the cards for us). I have three earrings to remember the babies I’ve lost … so to this currently emotional and sentimental mommy, the rainbow ring seems like a beautiful way to honor not only the baby who made it and who is the smiley, awesome center of my world, but also all the work I’ve done for him.
I’d choose a ring, they are beautiful!