Disclaimer: I received a product to review for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed when I found out I was pregnant. Everything I read talked about how healthy it was for your baby, so I thought I would nurse for at least six months. I planned to pump and give milk in bottles/sippy cups afterwards, but once I finally had Sesame I realized that my idealistic view of nursing was all wrong. To start we had a lot of issues those first few weeks achieving a latch and pumping was exhausting. Once he finally latched without a nursing shield around 11 or 12 weeks, he eventually stopped accepting milk from bottles or a sippy cup. I was so excited when we reached our six month goal that I didn’t even think about stopping. He was gaining weight from just my milk and we were both happy.
Whenever someone asked when I planned to stop breastfeeding, I found myself not only annoyed but a bit sad. Nursing Sesame created a bond between us that I didn’t expect. Sure, I read about nursing creating this huge bond between mother and baby, but somethings must be experienced in order to understand. There is something about being able to calm your child with nourishment from your own body and the way they look up at you during a feeding. Those few weeks of bottle feeding were tough and maybe I was just too exhausted to notice him looking up at me with big love filled eyes, but our nursing sessions felt different.
Now that Sesame is 17 months old and finally a huge fan of table food, I know that our nursing relationship will be ending sooner rather than later. I was so happy when I happened to come across Milk.Mom.Baby. A small company that helps you preserve your breast milk in a keepsake locket. Milk.Mom.Baby is owned by Brooke, a mom who like me wanted a way to commeorate her nursing relationship with her child. She came up with a way to turn your breast milk into what seems like clay initially, but dries in a fossil-like way all inside a fashionable locket. With several styles to choose from Milk.Mom.Baby allows you to always keep a piece of such a special relationship close.
I chose the Heidelberg Style locket kit because it had a bit of a literary feel to it. It sort of reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. My preservation kit came with detailed instructions and all the things needed to complete the task.
What you see as soon as you open the box
How darling is this packaging?!
Everything needed to get started…
Starting the preservation process… If you’re sensitive to smells this part might be hard for you.
Positives:
I loved how nicely packaged the kit was and that everything that was supposed to be in the kit was actually there. The instructions were very detailed and easy to follow. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to clearly understand the process, but they were well written. You can use fresh breast milk or frozen breast milk, and for a mommy like me who hasn’t pumped in months being able to use frozen was awesome. I didn’t have to unpack my pumping supplies to complete the task. You can also send in your breast milk for them to preserve for you, which is added plus for a busy mom. I loved the vintage look of the necklace and it’s something I would actually wear out of the house. My favorite part of course was the end result. I can wear a necklace that keeps my son close to me when we’re apart.
Negatives:
While I was pleased with the quality of the locket, I’m a little worried about wearing it around my toddler. I think my son might be able to break the bow because he’s pretty strong and going through a yanking phase. I probably should have considered this when choosing my locket style. The brush included with the kit seemed a bit cheap, but it did get the job done. I also didn’t enjoy the lengthy process to get it done. Having to prep the necklace for 48 hours before even getting started and then having to follow it up with several days of drying and another few days of more polishing. It was a bit tedious because I had to keep reminding myself to finish the steps. I probably should have set an alarm in my phone. I guess this is why they offer to do it for you 🙂
Overall, the good definitely outweighed the bad. I’m very impressed with Milk.Mom.Baby and their products. I’m glad someone has come up with a tangible way of commemorating your nursing relationship. You can purchase your own kit on Etsy (the Heidelberg is actually on sale right now) and make sure you follow them on FB for updates and new products. Be sure to let her know Danielle from Mamademics sent you 🙂
How have you commemorated your nursing relationship with your little one?
