Milk.Mom.Baby. Breast Milk Keepsake Locket Kit...... Product Review

This is the Dublin Style locket. I chose this over the Sterling Silver selections because I felt it best fit my style. The chain is long, so I double wrap it around my neck. I like to wear it close to my heart.

You know those times in life when you come across something amazing {yet so simple} that someone else thought of, and the first thing that goes through your mind is ... 

"WHY didn't I think of that?!" 

This is the feeling I got when I received an email from Brooke, the founder of Milk.Mom.Baby., asking if I would be interested in doing a review. 

My Thoughts -

Milk.Mom.Baby. is Brooke's epiphany turned brilliant business where she has created the concept of not only being able to save something so dear to us nursing mothers, but also coming up with a way to carry something so precious close to our heart. 


She has given us a way to preserve our Breast Milk, taking it from milk form, to putty form, to a sort of clay-like form and ending with a finished product that has the essence of a pearl. 

As a mother who nursed our first baby, and is now nursing our last baby, it is painfully real to me now of ALL of the lasts that come with having no more children after this one. 

There are many precious moments with a baby... Moments between baby and daddy, baby and siblings, baby with caretakers, and especially baby with mommy. 


But there is no other moment that could compare to that of the unique, quiet times between baby and mommy during a feeding. 

Silent communication with his eyes and sweet smiles as milk trickles out of the corners of his mouth ... The way pulls the breast to him with both of his hands in the most gentle way ... The sound of his swallow ... How he tucks his little fist into the side of the breast to give extra support, like a pro ... His little foot that always creeps up to rest on my chest or shoulder now that he is bigger ... The pure harmony in which we work together by way of this bond that only we can share...

These moments are often unnoticed by everyone else, making them all the more precious. 

But something else came from this entire experience of preserving some of my milk in a locket, giving even more sentiment to this whole thing. 

Now, when he is nursing, he lovingly and ever so gently plays with the heart shaped locket around my neck that holds a significant piece of what bonds us as Mother and Son. 

This necklace has become so much more than just a way to preserve Carlin's breast milk. 

It has become a forever-tangible piece of what keeps him alive every single day in these precious and fleeting years of his life that has created all of these tiny little memories that only he and I share, and it can all be kept tucked away, in a locket, safe around my neck, where I can grab it, close my eyes and feel closer to these times anytime I please. 

Differing Reactions -

I've received various reactions from people over this past month when I excitedly show them my precious locket. 

My husband did kind of find it weird at first, but has since come around and realizes it is not as gross as it seems. 

Others make a sort of funny face, asking what I'm going to do with it... "You're going to WEAR your breast milk.....", as if not to even ask the question, but more to just make the statement as if saying it aloud to me will let me see the error of my ways, or something. 

I do have one friend, the one I lovingly call my Earth Sister who never batted an eye and was immediately in love with my heartfelt locket when I first got the shipment in and showed her my adorable little kit that Brooke sent me from her Etsy Shop. 

The point I'm trying to make is this...... 

Just like with anything in life, everyone sees things differently, and you can't deny yourself something simply because other's do not "approve" or think it is "normal".

I think it is about damn time we put down our iPads (I don't own one) and laptops every now and then and remember to, not only cherish these tender moments, but to also create little memories of them, whether being sure to jot down milestones in the baby book, or something cute your baby did that you want to remember, or by preserving something that you'll never be able to share with your little one again; breast milk.

When it comes to YOU and YOUR baby, don't you ever think TWICE about anything that has to do with saving a little piece of their existence from the short years of babyhood that brings back the precious memories of such a time, no matter WHAT other's reactions are. 

The Process -

First of all, you can visit her website, choose your locket and pay extra for your milk to be preserved for you, but from one nursing mommy to another, I highly recommend you do the entire process on your own. 


It is so easy to do and you'll feel more connected to your little treasure than you could have imagined by the time you are wearing your one-of-a-kind finished product. 

Brooke sells these Breast Milk Keepsake Locket Kits for you to do just that at her Milk.Mom.Baby. Esty Shop.

Included in her kit is the necklace of your choice, thoughtfully attached to a stiff/glossy piece of paper, perfect for holding everything in place while you prepare your keepsake. 

Also included are a set of directions, a paint brush, a tiny spatula, a vile of gloss, and two viles of what smells like vinegar to be used in the cooking process of the breast milk. 





Here are the steps in my own words, along with my own words-of-advice ...... 
{ You will need 2oz of fresh breast milk, or 2.5oz of frozen breast milk }

• Take your time. When you start this process, know that it will take you several days to complete, but also know that because of the time it takes, you will form a special bond with your little treasure. 

• My locket came attached to a strong piece of paper, secured with a piece of tape, so I decided to leave it in place to make things easier during the glazing process. 

• Dip your paint brush in the glaze and evenly glaze the entire inner parts of your locket. Every area on the inside must be well glazed to avoid tarnish or rust over time. Let dry completely (I waited 2 hours).

• Glaze again once it dries completely. I repeated this step, glazing the entire inside probably 3 or 4 times. It is important to be sure to rinse the brush thoroughly after each use so that it is soft and usable the next time you need it. 

• To ensure it dries completely, wait a full 24 hours before beginning the process of cooking down the breast milk.

• Be sure you have about 15 minutes of no interruptions with this step! Grab a small pot, put over low/medium heat, dump your breast milk and one vile of the vinegar smelling fluid into the pot. Each vile is color coated and she instructs on which to pour first in the actual directions. To me, they both smell exactly the same. I imagine adding them a separate times effects the chemical/dehydration process that's needed to preserve the milk.

• Bring to a boil and then add the other vile of fluid. Gently stir continuously and slowly once it has the appearance of sweetened condensed milk. 

• In the instructions, she says to wait until it has the texture of clay and mentions rolling it between your fingers into a ball to be able to insert it and mold it into your locket. I gently guided the mixture onto a napkin and spooned it into my locket with the tiny spatula she provided while it was slightly thicker than sweetened condensed milk, before it ever got thick enough to roll in my hands like clay. I'm only telling you this so that you do not worry over the end result if things are not going verbatim to the instructions! :)

• Get your milk into your locket soon! There is NO time to waste! 

• Smooth it over as best as you can with your little spatula, being sure to come back every now and then to smooth it over some more. When it was getting dry and starting to have tiny cracks, I simply ran hot water over the spatula and smoothed it back out again. 

• I spent an entire day slowly molding and perfecting the shape of mine, feeling my attachment to it growing stronger as the hours went on. It looked different and better every time I came back to it! { don't worry if it looks a bit yellow; it will eventually turn more of an off-white }

• Wait 48 hours before this next step to be sure your milk is completely dry. If not, your milk could go rancid and your entire project could be ruined.  :'( 

• Dip your brush into the glaze and evenly coat the dried milk, not being shy about giving another light coat to the areas of the locket immediately surrounding the milk. 

• Repeat this step every couple of hours, 2 or 3 or 4 times if you'd like! 

• I coated mine 3 times one day and 2 more times the next day, and then waited a full 48 hours before messing with it to be sure it dried completely. 

• Be sure your locket is secure, on a flat, safe surface for drying and remains open.

• THE BEST PART:  Anxiously running to your new little piece of sentiment to be greeted by a beautiful pearl-like appearance that only you could make. Only YOU! Your body made the milk, you lovingly prepared the locket and ingredients, and carefully molded and glazed your own little priceless treasure that will forever be close to your heart. 

I'm in LOVE with my locket and know that as the years pass, I will be able to hold my locket and be thankful for the gift I gave myself that allows me to hold on to a time with my son that flies by in the blink of a eye. 

And you should do the same. You'll be glad you did.

Modern Hippie Momma highly recommends