5 Things to Try in the Event of Spilt Milk

It looked like spilt milk… because it was, in fact, spilt milk. Whoever said that you shouldn’t cry over this precious food must not have been a mother who was exclusively pumping. Every. Drop. Counts. Now many of those drops, almost 2 ounces of them, were soaking into my pajamas. Did I mention it was 2 in the morning? Awesome.

So what should you do if, I mean WHEN, this happens to you?
Consider the following:

Take 3 deep breaths. You’ll need a clear head to continue without adding tears to the mess. I started doing this in order to model this coping strategy for my daughter. It works surprisingly well. Now I do it for me.
Give thanks. Thank our Heavenly Father that you can even make breast milk. Many women are not able to do this beautiful task for their children. I’ve been exclusively pumping for more than 8 months now. It is amazing how a quiet moment with God can lift our spirits and remind us of the important things. I would rather spill 2 ounces than not be able to even make them.
Get up and clean up. You may have to force yourself into this action as I did on that late night. I thought about just going to bed in my wet pjs. I’m very glad that I changed. You will too.
Decide if you need more milk. I was fortunate that I had extra milk in my son’s feeding bag. I didn’t need to get any additional milk out. If I would have needed it, I would have taken it from my frozen supply. If I put in another pumping session, I could have possibly squeezed out another ounce.
Write about this moment. Journal your Milk Tap triumphs and failures. Your child may want to hear about it someday. She may need some encouragement when she’s a breastfeeding mama. You may even be able to inspire other mothers out in cyber world. Go ahead and put it out there.

Here’s your chance. Do you have a spilt milk story you’d like to share? Have these strategies or another strategy not mentioned helped you in your time of lactation agitation? Please share and have a blessed day!