‘I quit neuroscientist job to make jewellery from breast milk, ashes and hair’

We all have days where we feel like packing in our jobs and trying something new.

Some of us secretly dream of running our own café, while others wish they could swap normality for the red carpets.

But one woman's sudden career change will completely astound you.

READ MORE: People can now pop the question to their other half with a Crocs engagement ring

Rachel Heinze, 29, worked as a neuroscientist before she quit her job to make $30,000 (£23,821.05) a year creating jewellery – from breast milk, ashes and hair.

She admitted she struggled with breastfeeding after her first child, Lucas, two, was born six weeks prematurely in October 2020.

The mum-of-two wanted to celebrate her "exhausting" breastfeeding journey, and decided to make a ring from her leftover milk after seeing adverts for breast milk jewellery on Facebook.

Rachel fell in love with the process of making the unique designs, and decided to turn her hobby into a career when she launched a business in November 2021.

She now turns clients' breast milk into powder before making it into the item, and can combine locks of hair and ashes into designs too.

Each piece is sold for up to £158.78, and things seem to be going well.

Rachel, from Lakeland, Florida, said: "I’m not going to lie, when I first saw breastfeeding jewellery before I had kids, I thought it was weird.

"But having that journey myself, I can definitely see why people want to carry that little part of the journey with them.

“When I hit that one year of breastfeeding mark I wanted to celebrate.

"I thought 'I can do this. I can make these.'

"Then I fell in love with making them. Then friends wanted some, and since then it's become a business."

Rachel struggled with breastfeeding when her first child, Lucas, wouldn't latch.

She had to pump milk to feed him and couldn't use formula milk as her son didn't like the taste.

The mum explained he was born prematurely, so he couldn’t latch for the first six months of his life.

It was "hard" for her, as when he finally could catch she was then low on milk.

The family tried formula, but he didn't like the taste, and Rachel said she did "everything" to continue breastfeeding for a year.

To celebrate her "long and painful" breastfeeding journey she made herself a ring using her breastmilk, and decided to do it for others as a business in November 2021.

Rachel quit her job as a neuroscientist after becoming a mum, but couldn't help but jump on the opportunity to launch a new venture.

"I didn’t know it would be such a big thing – I just thought it would be a little here and there to make a sale," she continued.

"I had one video on social media, it kicked off and that’s when it started becoming a big thing.

"I was getting breast milk given to me from all over the world. I thought 'I can actually make this into something big'."

Rachel now spends eight weeks making her designs, while juggling her family life.

She said her neuroscience background helped with the preservation process for the breast milk, and she found a way to turn it to powder before it goes into the jewellery, so it won’t go bad over time.

It takes 30 minutes to preserve, but it has to dry out for two to three days before she can grind the powder.

This means it takes around three to four days to make one.

Now she has expanded her business to make jewellery out of ashes and incorporates locks of hair and birth stones into her pieces.

Rachel said: "My mum lost her mother, and she had lots of hair in her hairbrush still.

"For Christmas I wanted to make a necklace with pieces of hair for my mum.

"Then I started adding that to my business.

"I do locks of hair, baby hair. I add stones, even cremation ashes.

"It is very difficult to manage hair, it is fine and small, so difficult.

"It is my favourite though as you can be more creative with it.

"I think every stay-at-home mum can vouch for how difficult it is to both work and look after your kids, but it is so worth it to me.

"My business is just a nice thing on top. Mother first, business second.

"If that means staying up later with a little less sleep, I am OK with that."

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