Whoever coined the phrase "No use crying over spilled milk..."

[rachelleigh]

...definitely wasn't pumping breast milk for their baby! Just spilled 3 out of the 6oz I just pumped by being clumsy.. Burst into tears instantly. I have plenty saved up because I'm pumping frequently to keep my supply up as we still try to figure out bf, so I guess there really is no use crying over it, but I feel like every little drop is like gold and I want my baby to have it. I'm also scared of bf not working out and having to exclusively pump (which actually is more or less what I'm already doing, he doesn't really get milk when we attempt to nurse) and my supply drying up sooner than I want, which just makes the milk I'm able to save even more precious. Anyway, it was 3 ounces, I know it's not the end of the world but it still just made me so sad. 6oz is probably my record and I had JUST exclaimed to my DH how much I had gotten and knocked it over immediately after as I was putting on the lid.

Pointless thread but just needed to rant a bit.

 

[calliebaby]

Totally understand. I had a five ounce bottle in one hand and a three ounce in the other. I dropped the five ounce bottle and the cap cracked and spilt four ounces! That's a whole feeding for my baby. I'm almost exclusively pumping as well. It really sucked to lose that much.

 

[Nicolalove353]

I completely agree! I remember when I first started pumping and I would barely get anything and then I would accidentally spill it. I'm pretty sure I cried a few times lol. I still get really frustrated when it happens. I have also poured some down the drain! I was not paying attention and meant to pour it into the bottle in the fridge and I poured it down the sink! I was so mad at myself!

 

[Pielette]

It's gutting when that happens! It is truly liquid gold. One of my friends was having a hard time with BFing in the early days with her son and had the same thing happen, her DH actually laughed and used that saying. She wanted to punch him!

 

[missbabes]

I've done exactly the same thing in my first few weeks, but I lost 7oz. Needless to say I did in fact cry over it. It's just so heart breaking when it happens at a time when you're not sure how your supply is doing, or when you're trying to make a good stash (DS was at a greedy stage at the time and I only was a few feeds ahead).

I joke about it now, but at the time Hubby did say that infamous saying, though he did add "It wouldn't help if I say..." beforehand.

 

[lanaross]

omg I used to literally cry when I did that. Like real tears, sobbing and everything

 

[Noo]

I'd still cry now. My freezer stash currently sits at 3oz... yes 3oz!

 

[Ninagrrl]

I've never spilt that much but nearly knocked 4 oz into the sink and it was my only non frozen milk at the time in the middle of the night with my daughter screaming her head off in the bedroom because I made her wait while I pumped. Needless to say, I nearly cried at the mere thought of spilling it. I try to tap out as much milk out of my pump peices as I can when I'm taking it apart because every drop counts. Especially when I massage the whole pumping session to keep my supply up until I am BFing at night not just during the day.

Oh, and I just wanted to say that I have had latch problems and was told that football hold would work best (worked only half the time with a lot of fussing) and had even tried cradle hold which was a fail but recently tried cross cradle hold and she has latched every time since switching. I just wanted to share in case you haven't thought to try all positions.

 

[calliebaby]

I have about 450oz saved....but I'm only pumping about 25-27oz a day now from 30-35 since i went back to work a month ago. I think it's only a matter of time before i don't produce enough and have to use up my stash.

 

[Noo]

I have about 450oz saved....but I'm only pumping about 25-27oz a day now from 30-35 since i went back to work a month ago. I think it's only a matter of time before i don't produce enough and have to use up my stash.

How the heck have you managed to get that?? I can never get the time to pump as baby feeds 2 hourly. At one point I have 60oz in the freezer but had to bin it as it wasn't dairy free milk and would have been there too long by the time reintroducing dairy... oh how I sobbed! I literally have 6oz in the freezer now in 2 x 3oz bags

 

[Longl3gz]

I hear ya! My OH was pouring my breast milk in a bottle and realized when it was too late that he forgot to assemble the bottom of the MAM bottle and spilled all 4 oz on floor. I cried like a baby lol. Ughh.

 

[calliebaby]

I

I have about 450oz saved....but I'm only pumping about 25-27oz a day now from 30-35 since i went back to work a month ago. I think it's only a matter of time before i don't produce enough and have to use up my stash.

How the heck have you managed to get that?? I can never get the time to pump as baby feeds 2 hourly. At one point I have 60oz in the freezer but had to bin it as it wasn't dairy free milk and would have been there too long by the time reintroducing dairy... oh how I sobbed! I literally have 6oz in the freezer now in 2 x 3oz bags

My little guy decided around two weeks that he wanted to almost exclusively bottle feed. It's honestly from pumping an extra five ounces over what he eats each day. Oddly enough, he has decided to start nursing again the last two days...

 

[calliebaby]

Oh, and freezer milk is good up to a year, depending on how it is stored.

 

[Ninagrrl]

Oh, and freezer milk is good up to a year, depending on how it is stored.

I sent mine over to my mom's to store in her deep freezer for this reason. I plan to get one of my own soon but it's so crazy that it lasts up to a year in deep freeze and only 3-4 months in a refrigerator freezer. I plan on using it to cook if I don't end up needing to use it for feeding for some unforeseeable reason so it really needs to last at least 6 months as my daughter is only 2.5 weeks.

 

[DianaB]

I feel you on the spilled milk. I exclusively pumped for DD1 and only just pumped in a day what she needed usually. One time I spilled everything I had just pumped while trying to open the fridge. I sat on the floor near the milk puddle and sobbed, my husband came in and said "Diana you're literally crying over spilled milk." I didn't find his joke very funny at the time though.