Mum spends $13,000 on baby’s first birthday - but admits there's a heartbreaking reason why

A Melbourne mum has splashed out an eye-watering $13,000 on her son’s first birthday party, but there’s a special reason why.

Jackie Lam from Melbourne suffered a miscarriage two years ago, after struggling to conceive for months.

Her son Lachlan is her 'rainbow baby' - a baby born after a miscarriage or still-birth - and Jackie wanted his birthday to be as special as possible.

She invited 140 people to his Where The Wild Things Are party, held at a lavish waterside venue. Jackie said most of the money went on catering for her guests.

‘We come from a Vietnamese heritage and in our culture, the first birthday is always the most significant, rather than the sixteenth or the eighteenth,’ Jackie told Daily Mail.  

‘In the back of our minds, we knew we wanted to have a big celebration when he turned one, but we didn’t start planning it until two months before the party.’

Guests were treated to slider burgers, mini fish and chips and mini pizzas. For dessert there was mini eclairs, tarts, mousse cakes and macaroons, but Jackie baked the cake herself.

‘We themed it around Where The Wild Things Are, and called it Wild One. I love inspiring imagination, especially in children,’ she added.

‘Seeing their faces – I get so much pleasure from celebrating things with the people I love.’

Jackie, who admits that some might see it as extravagant to spend five figures on a kid’s birthday, also said that saying ‘I love you’ has no boundaries when it comes to cost.

'I’ve always loved parties, or to find a reason to celebrate and go over-the-top,' she told YahooB, adding her and hubby Ian love to ‘live in the moment’.

'We may not have the deepest pockets but we believe where money is well spent and for the right reasons, we’ll make it work.'

How much did you spend on your child's first birthday party?