Breast milk jewellery- cute or wierd?!

[wildmoon]

Okay.... so I can't decide if this is cute or WIERD.

But..... I am currently bf and drawing to the end of the journey- maybe another month or 2. I feel really sad about giving up but I know it's time.

I saw some breast milk jewellery where they use resin to make a pearl looking stone out of breast milk.

I thought maybe this would be a cute keepsake... if not to wear then maybe just a little heart shaped one to keep in a special box.

Thoughts on this? Cute? wierd?

Also- do you know of any other ideas for breastfeeding keepsakes/ souvenirs?

I don’t think bonds between mothers and babies in any way depends on how they were fed.

It certainly helped 😊

I'm a comfort to him.

I wouldn’t have got one myself, but do remember feeling quite sad ending breastfeeding after so long and three kids, so I get the drive to have a keepsake.

7 years later and I remember it with fondness, but I wouldn’t want to wear it around my neck tbh. Wish I’d taken more photos and videos though.

I think it’s really bizarre. I breastfed my son, but it’s just a way of feeding a child. It’s nothing special, millions of women do it every day.

I had some made for a charm bracelet while in the hormonal fog. Wasn't cheap, could have passed it off as a pearl at first (at a distance) but turned a horrible yellow within the year! Ditched it when the hormones subsided...

This thread has made me think that women seem to fall into two camps. Those who feel like us, and those who want breast milk jewellery and pins that say ‘golden boobies’. What makes us fall into the two distinct camps, I can’t work out. I went into motherhood chill and with absolutely no ‘ideals’ though. I’m not romantic at all about any of it, had no preformed ideas or expectations. Maybe that’s it. Who knows.

As someone who breastfed, breastfeeding is only one form of comfort, it isn’t the only form.

I don’t think a child who isn’t exclusively breastfed is comforted by their mother any less.

I really hate the idea that it is more bonding. It’s just not true. If you had to formula feed for whatever reason do you really think you would be less “bonded” to your child? Do you think he would be any less comforted by you or would smile or look at you less?

I’m not even trying to get into a BF vs formula debate, it’s not that but I just really resent the notion some people seem to perpetuate that BFing is somehow more bonding and therefore more loving.

Same here @BunchHarman. In fact I got pregnant by accident. Was delighted when I found out and think I’ve been and continue to a good mum 20 years on. But it’s really just something that happens globally every second of the day.

I never said its more bonding at all. I've giving him formula before. Also gave him expressed milk in a bottle. It definitely didnt feel the same. breastfeeding felt more loving.

It definitely didnt feel the same. breastfeeding felt more loving

it felt more loving to you. Your baby felt it’s tummy getting full

And you think mothers who don't breastfeed are not a comfort to their babies?

You're boasting about being a human pacifier basically. It's rather funny.

Yeah @Ouchmehip not really. But you tell yourself that. Go for it!

Not sure which of my posts you’re referring to @AnuSTart but you’re either disputing that birth and breastfeeding isn’t a daily experience in the millions globally, or you’re saying that a breastfed baby feels more loved. Happy for you to counter either way

Glad you find it hilarious. It's a good job I'm not you and love being that for my son ☺️

Both felt loved 😊

I’d hope your son felt loved @Emmamoo89 but it was because he had his needs met, not because he was sucking on a teet of flesh as opposed to a plastic one

I don’t think it’s a case of breastfed babies feeling more ‘love’ but the bond between breastfeed baby and mom is special because it benefits baby emotionally due to the skin to skin contact.
Experts agree that skin to skin contact promotes feelings of security and closeness to the parents, which has shown to positively impact behaviour in children as they get older.
Of course however, a formula feeding mother can still have skin to skin contact with her baby but feeding does not necessitate this and therefore it may not happen as much.

He told you that? You can't possibly know what a baby felt.

Breastfeeding makes no difference to overall bonding and little difference to the child’s health. I breastfed for 8 months, I would LOVE it if it had greater protections than that (as I was lead to believe) because it would’ve meant my daughter wouldn’t have spent half of her first 2 years at nursery unwell. But no matter how many litres of colostrum and breast milk she guzzled in that time, she picked up far more bugs than her fully formula fed cousins.

Equally my mum’s family are very very strong breastfeeding advocates. Not a single drop of formula passed my mum’s lips (or her siblings) or my lips (or my siblings!). An unhealthier bunch of people you could not meet - we’re like something from the autoimmune disease handbook. All of us riddled with type 1 diabetes, eczema, asthma, immune arthritis, allergies, coeliac… I could go on. Many are obese.

DH and his bro were fully formula fed, have the constitutions of oxes and not a single condition between them, bar one of them wearing glasses. I can’t remember the last time DH so much as caught a cold and he’s the type to bounce up after 6 hours sleep ready for anything.

A small sample perhaps but yes it’s made me cynical! And it makes me laugh when my family bang on about how great it is, overlooking their numerous health conditions.

But you don’t have skin to skin every time you breastfeed. DD was fully clothed for 99% of the feeds, as was I. When you bottle feed you can look into their eyes, play with their little hands etc.

Well said.

I know exactly what my son feels..

@Cuppasoupmonster It absolutely does impact bonding because it encourages skin to skin contact.
Your argument re health is anecdotal but interesting nevertheless, however my point was specifically about the emotional benefits not the health benefits.