Breastfeeding, to me is such a natural and normal thing for me as my mum has always shared how she breastfed and take care of us. Naturally, making a breastmilk keepsake has never come across to my mind. Because, 10 years ago, it wasn’t a popular thing. During our time, the popular keepsake gifts are Tai Mao Bi (胎毛笔), baby hand/footprint.
As the years go by, the trend of baby keepsakes has evolved from hand/ footprint to breastmilk keepsakes. An accessory that we can wear daily or even pass down to our kids as an heirloom. A special, meaningful heirloom to remind us of our breastfeeding or pregnancy journey or even remind us of the people who might not be with us anymore.
Breastmilk keepsake
My dream was to have 4 kids, so when Xiaomei came along, I knew my “mission” is accomplished! Haha.. when I stop breastfeeding, this will ‘probably’ be the last time, that is when I decided that it’s time to do my breastmilk keepsake.
Breastfeeding Journey
Trust me, I’m not a die-hard breastmilk advocate, even though I’ve had a good supply, but my breastfeeding journey wasn’t a breeze. All the sleepless nights, mastitis, and I have to hire a lactation massage lady to massage my hard rock boobs without cursing and swearing. No doubt that I love the bonding, but I really don’t like the “negative” stuff that comes with it.
But compared to those worse cases, I’m still considered fortunate enough. Hence, turning my breastmilk into a piece of jewelry is a natural thing to do, as a memory to remind me of my breastfeeding journey and a pat on my back that I managed to do it.
Breastmilk Keepsake By Ryo
I did a baby hair calligraphy brush for my 4 kids, because, it’s a Chinese tradition, it’s normally the way of doing it, but I wanted something that the kids can wear and a special story that I could tell and keep for memory. So I’ve had my breastmilk keepsake done by Keepsake By Ryo. I fell in love at first sight with their Jade collection.
It did come across my mind to do my own or DIY but what I was worried about is it may change colour or grow mould over time. I decided to leave it to the specialists since they a chemist to formulate a secret breastmilk preservation method so that our breastmilk keepsake will not rot, decay or discolour over time. I definitely don’t want that to happen.
I’m planning to do more because I realized I still have 2 more packets of leftover frozen breastmilk. So addictive to receive a piece of jewellery that is a part of your memory.
Whether you are breastfeeding or a pumping mother, having a keepsake jewelry helps us, mothers, to celebrate and embrace our motherhood journey. Even so for formula-fed mothers too, you can even use your baby hair or umbilical cord as a keepsake too. This keepsake privilege does not apply to only breastfeeding mothers, so keep your choices open and don’t be too hard on yourself. If you are a low supply mother, don’t worry about that, because they just need 20mls of your breastmilk to make 1 keepsake.
Even if breastmilk keepsakes are not your thing, you can also do engraving of your baby’s photo on your choice of jewelry.
A keepsake is a very special thing to remind us of a person, a journey, or a memory. There is a story behind every piece of jewelry, what’s yours?
You can check out the detailed guide on how to order your keepsake.
Have A Say