March for Babies

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

When you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

So, I thought it was bad last week after pumping at work when I managed to squeeze 6-1/4 ounces of milk into a 6oz storage bag (I had missed the previous pumping, I usually get somewhere around 4oz. per session) and then dropped it on the floor, in the middle of the office, losing at least two ounces and quickly having to clean it up and hoping no one walked by and saw the big white puddle in the middle of the dark blue carpeting and not having to ask what it was because it would have just been so completely obvious and gross and laughable and humiliating and I would never hear the end of it considering I work with all men most of the time.
Yeah, I thought that was bad. Then today…
after pumping at work when I was pouring the milk into the storage bag but missed the edge and ended up pouring it into my lap instead so that I was surprised and stood up bottle in one hand, storage bag in the other, big huge wet mark across both thighs and my boobs still hanging out of my shirt I had to question the age old saying.
At what point does one cry over spilled milk?

12 comments:

Cricket said...

If it's breastmilk, you're always allowed to cry. Always.

Billie said...

I cried every time I spilled it. Sometimes hysterically enough that my husband would worry about me. It's hard work doing all that pumping. You're awesome for doing it!

Miss W said...

I have a considerably more limited milk supply than you do so...whenever one drop is spilled? I CRY!

Miss W said...

Just another thought...can you pump directly into the bags and eliminate the bottles? Our NICU asked us to do that -- with the medela, you just pull the bag up over the part where you screw the bottles on and seal it off with a twist-tie.

Anonymous said...

I have never been so angry at my husband as I was the time he left a hard-won bottle of pumped breastmilk sitting out overnight.

I sobbed.

Honestly, I have never not shed at least a tiny tear over spilled breastmilk.

Anonymous said...

Same here. And a few months ago when I was cleaning out our freezer, I found TWO beautiful full containers -- 6 oz. each -- of frozen breast milk from a year ago.

I cried, you bet I did.

We work so hard for every drop, and our babies need it so much. Of course you're gonna bawl!

Anonymous said...

De-lurking to say been there, done that. Cry as much as you want - I know I did (am, since I'm still pumping...).

Major Bedhead said...

I found two bags in the freeze the other day and cried about it. So, yeah, what everyone else said. Breastmilk is worth more than gold, IMO, and when it's spilled, you're allowed to cry.

Anonymous said...

Oh Blue, I feel for you. I hated every second of pumping. It is hard work. I cried any time I spilled some. One day I think preemie moms should write a book about pumping called - Pumping Sucks!

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, definitely cry every time. And for some reason, the times you spill it seem to happen one right after the other, like you have bad milk karma or something. When my mom was dying my milk was disappearing (I always pumped b/c my daughter refused to drink it "from the tap"), and I spilled it two times in a row, followed by my husband leaving EIGHT OUNCES of it in the diaper bag overnight. I had to pump night and day to try and make all that up, and I don't think I've ever been that exhausted! So go ahead and cry!!

So glad Azure is doing so great!!

Erica said...

Oh, man, I have to agree with the others. If it's breast milk, you go ahead and cry every time. I've cried every time I've spilled my milk...people just don't understand how important it is unless they've been there.

SO glad your daughter is doing well!

Anonymous said...

I cry every single time I spill it! It takes so much effort to get a single oz. sometimes that's it painful to lose any. I've never been so upset with myself than the night I lost my temper at my husband and threw an empty bottle at him...

...until I realized the bottle had been my full-of-7-oz-bottle. Then I just sobbed.