Jess Ellis, 29, started making and collecting the hyperrealistic dolls after a battle with PCOS left her struggling to conceive.
She’s given herself “one more year” to fall pregnant naturally – but will begin looking into other options, like IVF, if she hasn’t been successful.
The content creator – who makes and collects the dolls – says they’re “beautiful” to look at, and claims they release similar hormones to mums caring for newborn babies.
She wants people to stop accusing Katie Price – who shared she’d begun collecting reborn dolls on January 16 – of “needing to be sectioned”.
Jess, a HR business partner, from Newham, London, said: “The reborn community really appreciates Katie for introducing more people to reborns who might not have known about them before.
“It’s such a shame that some people are being really horrible to her about her mental health – and calling her ‘crazy’ for collecting them.
“Some people are even saying she needs to ‘be sectioned’.
“But they’re therapeutic, and a coping mechanism for lots of people.
“Making these babies has been an outlet for any fertility worries I’ve got.
“I’d love to be a mother, I think I’d be a really good mother.”
Jess began her collection in May 2020 – after feeling “lonely” throughout the pandemic.
Her first doll, Rebecca, cost £250 – and she quickly added dolls like newborns Zain, Sam, Annalese and Aria to her brood.
In total, to date, Jess has spent over £6k on baby accessories alone.
Along with her husband, Avery, 35, a pastry chef, she also takes them out for walks in their prams.
“I think particularly living away from friends and family, it’s very easy to feel lonely,” Jess said.
“My dolls have been really helpful if I’m ever upset and stressed.”
The calming effects of the dolls include their “weighted” feel and the distraction of dressing them up.
Jess also claims they release similar maternal hormones as the real deal – making them a comfort for women struggling to conceive, or couples who have miscarried.
She added: “A lot of people think we treat these dolls exactly like you would a real baby – or we believe they’re real, which is not the case.
“They also think we’re obsessed with babies – but a lot of us see these items as we would a soft toy.
“The dolls look really beautiful and release some of the maternal hormones as you would with a real baby.
“The fact is, I keep mine in a display cabinet – you can’t do that with a real baby.”
As well as collecting reborn dolls, Jess makes them from scratch – and they often take 40 to 50 hours to complete.
She starts with a vinyl mold, which is already sculpted in the shape of a baby.
Then, she spends an average of 20 hours painting it – making sure she includes every “minor” detail like skin texture.
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Another 20 hours is spent sticking individual strands of “alpaca hair” to the doll.
“It’s a very long process,” she said.
“They’re collectors’ items.”
