How Much Milk For Breastmilk Jewellery?

How Much Milk for Breastmilk Jewellery?

That’s what I was asked about for breastmilk jewellery this morning.
Ideally 10mls is what I ask mums to provide when sending their breastmilk to me.
However, I can work with 5mls, but this would leave no margin for error should anything go wrong during the preservation process. I also always insist that clients don’t send the last of their breastmilk and they keep some back. If you have 10mls left, I suggest only sending 5mls. Each artisan has their own preservation process and may require varying amounts of breastmilk to create your chosen jewellery or keepsake.

Breastmilk does not need to be kept refrigerated during postage and ideally frozen breastmilk should be defrosted prior to transportation. This is for a few reasons; firstly, the milk to be used in the breastmilk jewellery is not for consumption so doesn’t require the strict protocol to ensure its food safety. Breastmilk that has been frozen in a breastmilk bag may have a slight defect that will only be noticeable when defrosted that may lead to leaking if not defrosted first before posting, additionally as the breastmilk defrosts varying temperatures can cause condensation and the packaging to become wet and breakdown.
Any age of breastmilk can be used for inclusion if there are no visible signs of mould. I have successfully used milk that had previously been frozen several years ago, although not safe for consumption it was perfect for the use in the precious keepsakes.

Basic principles of sending in your breastmilk at My Forever Yours. Please send between 10-15ml (half an ounce) of your breastmilk in a breastmilk bag, and then double bag. You can remove milk of any age from the freezer (even ten year old milk works fine) and allow it to defrost a little until slushy. Spoon the right amount into the breastmilk bag and you can refreeze the rest of your milk for soap etc. If you’re very low on supply, please retain a minimum of 5mls in the freezer and send the other 5-10mls. Ensure the bag is fully sealed and check that the bags don’t leak, removing as much air as possible, additionally please seal over the bag with some tape to help prevent any leaking. Ensure milk that is to be sent is fully defrosted before posting. 
Please ensure that the bags are labelled clearly with your name and order number.