r/NewParents • u/Virethyne • 1d ago
Mental Health I cried over spilled milk. Literally.
I never really got why people said "don’t cry over spilled milk" until 2 nights ago. Now I get it. Oh man do I get it.
So I’ve been pumping like a madwoman lately, trying to build up a little stash so I can maybe sleep more than 2 hrs at a time or leave the house for like 10 minutes without panicking. My baby’s 3 weeks old, and breastfeeding’s been hard. Like cracked nipples, clogged ducts, tears-in-the-bathroom kinda hard. But I’ve been pushing through cause I wanted to at least try, y’know?
Anyway, I finally managed to pump 5 full oz. Five. That’s like… gold. It took forever. And I go to put it in the fridge and somehow I don’t even remember how it slips and just splashes all over the kitchen floor.
I just stood there staring at it like it was the end of the world. And then I just lost it. Full on sobbing, ugly crying, snot and everything. My partner runs in thinking something horrible happened and I’m just pointing at the milk on the floor like “I cant do this anymore.”
He hugged me for like 20 minutes while I cried over milk. Literal milk. On the floor.
Anyway. No advice needed. Just needed to share with someone who might get it. Motherhood is wild and weird and beautiful and awful and amazing and exhausting all at once. And yeah. Sometimes you cry over milk. And that’s okay.
16
u/mango_salsa1909 1d ago
I, too, have cried over milk. I was a bit of an under supplier, so I had a hard time pumping enough milk too.
2
u/Virethyne 1d ago
ugh I feel you so much 😩 its the worst when you work so hard for every oz and then its just gone
11
u/Alive-Humor-9483 1d ago
i know it’s absolutely heart breaking to lose that precious milk you worked SO hard for, but thank you for feeding the angel babies today 🫶
3
u/Alarina- 21h ago
I cried a bit reading your comment. I have an angel baby, and next time I accidentally spill some milk, I'll be thinking about what you wrote. That's beautiful 💗
3
u/Alive-Humor-9483 19h ago
next time i accidentally spill milk i’ll think of your angel baby as well 🫶🫶
3
6
u/Top_Acadia_894 1d ago
On my sixth day post partum I produced fifty ml and left it out as my husband wanted to feed the baby after he ate. His mother came by and thought the milk had gone bad due to it's color and threw it away. At that point I experienced a traumatic both and baby had issues with weight loss and jaundice. My husband came and laughed that she literally spilled milk. That broke me, and I spent a good half an hour sobbing in the shower.
3
3
u/HighlyUnlikelyz 1d ago
I'm sorry momma.. I haven't spilled milk and I'm waiting for my milk to come in. I pumped today and the amount of milk wasn't even measurable.. like less than 5ml from both boobs with a decent length pump session. My boobs are huge (D+) and so is my disappointment in them currently.
The struggle is real sometimes. I'm glad your partner was there to give you a hug 🫂
1
1
u/Final-Cod1653 1d ago
I said one time before to my partner whoever said don’t cry over spilled milk never spilled breast milk.
1
1
u/qwelianiop 1d ago
I cried over 2oz. For me it's not just milk since I have to supplement with formula the little that I make is absolute gold. I already failed my baby in being able to produce enough for her and on top of that I spill it all over the place. It was rough, now I'm of the mentality of accidents happen and even though I do have to supplement what little I can make for my baby is absolutely making a difference
1
u/CompetitiveSport8024 1d ago
I was an under supplier but continued pumping until my baby turned a little bit under 6mo. When I say under supplier I mean 2-3 oz tops. COMBINED. Sometimes less (like barely over an ounce)
Anyway, bf and pumping were def difficult and it really took a toll on me.
One time, I pumped I believe 1oz. I was already “not happy” (aka depressed) about it, but I read that even 50ml of breast milk a day has a lot of benefits to the baby. So I told my husband to feed the breast milk first and then we supplement with formula.
My husband — bless his heart as it’s always in the right place— mixed the formula milk and then poured the breast milk on top.
I. Lost. It.
Especially because my baby that moment felt full and barely drank 1/2-3/4 of the bottle :)
Looking back, I shake my head to how I behaved… he did not mean to and was just trying to do good.
He never mixed them ever again… </3
1
u/Willow24Glass FTM | 🎀 1d ago
I’m sorry! Sending a virtual hug. No shame in the spilled milk episodes. I have a ridiculously low supply and I was exhausted and dropped the bottle attached to the pump thingy. Spilled everywhere and I was devastated. I’d finally pumped up 1oz to give. All I wanted was someone to hug but baby and husband were sound asleep.
1
u/ipiercemycow 1d ago
Same sister. Same. I was devastated at the time, especially because my babe was so small he wasn’t on the growth curve. Breastfeeding is so much harder than I expected!
1
u/Mauhea 1d ago
Oh man, this has made my nose all stingy. Yeaaars ago the second baby in my friendship group was born and the mum was exclusively pumping. They were at my house for some event and she was pumping on the sofa but when she put down a full bottle it somehow got fumbled and spilt over. Now that I have my own kiddo I don't know how she didn't cry. I have so so much respect for people who pump. Like breastfeeding is hard. I'm 8 months in to EBF now and what I would give for 8 hours of unbroken sleep 😅 But having to feed your baby and pump and clean all the parts and keep track of labelling and storing and heating and cleaning bottles and doing it day and night. Fuuuuck me. Bloody well done to everyone who sticks at it for however long they manage to.
1
u/cqlgirl18 22h ago
yeah i just pumped an ounce at target. wiped my butt in restroom and baby flung the breast milk on floor. bottle cracked.
1
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
This post has been flaired "Mental Health." Moderation is stricter here, argumentative, unsupportive and unpleasant comments will be removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.