There are quite a few traditions new parents have embraced when it comes to giving birth. Some save and eat the placenta. Others might hire a birth photographer to document the entire experience. And some get creative with their little one’s umbilical cord stump.
While many parents just throw away that strange-looking lump when it eventually falls off baby’s belly button after a week or two, others hold on to it. And, as the New York Post and other new outlets have been reporting this month, they now have a wearable keepsake option: jewelry.
In particular, the Post highlighted Ruth Avra, a Florida mom who sells an umbilical cord necklace in her online shop, A La Avra. For $195, she’ll seal the stump in resin and turn it into a necklace or ring, if you’d prefer (part of the proceeds go to “children’s charities,” her website notes).
Not surprisingly, it’s been turning heads. It’s definitely a departure from casting and saving your newborn baby’s handprints, after all.
So why would parents choose to hold onto the umbilical cord stump? I mean, have you seen one? If not, here you go.
It looks like a mutant ninja turtle crawling up out of the sewer through a manhole in the middle of a city street.
So why would moms want to hold onto it?
There are many reasons – like posterity, good luck or just a physical reminder of the miracle of life. In a thread on BabyCenter, moms voiced their logic for saving the stump:
“That little black stump represents the connection that me and my daughter had for nine months. It’s a miracle, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to preserve that memory.”
“I find it very refreshing to have the last thing that connected my girls to me!”
“My mother told me that it was traditional in her culture to keep the cord as a symbol of good luck.”
Maybe taking this nostalgia to the next level – jewelry – simply makes sense.
Another company, Speckled Milk, also offers this service for around $65 to $85. In fact, they’ll make accessories out of umbilical cord stumps, breastmilk, baby teeth and – if you’re looking for something far into the future – ashes.
The end result is actually pretty stunning and doesn’t make me want to vomit. Just take a look at this umbilical cord stump necklace by A La Avra!
So instead of stuffing that stump into a Ziploc bag and losing it in their sock drawer, moms can turn it into a ring or a necklace.
That way they can always keep that special memory with them – while making a fashion statement.
Photo from A La Avra
What do you think about this new-mom fashion trend? Would you turn your baby’s umbilical cord stump into your newest pair of earrings? Let us know in the comments.
