I accidentally threw away my wife's expressed breast milk and I can't stop thinking about it
My son is 9 days old and we've had a tough start with feeding. Breastfeeding has been difficult, we've had to top up with formula as he lost too much weight, and every bit of expressed milk feels like liquid gold because my wife has worked so hard for it.
Last night, running on almost no sleep, I accidentally threw away a bottle of her freshly expressed milk thinking it was old forumula. I realised a few seconds later and felt absolutely devestated.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I completely lost my temper, kicked a chair, threw a packet of pasta across the kitchen and punched another chair.
Then later, when my son was crying inconsolably, I felt a level of frustration and anger that I hadn't felt before. I just hugged him and him and told I loved him and that calmed me down a bit, but it made me realise how sleep deprivation and stress can affect you.
Right now, I don't have a moment to myself. If I dont have the baby I am sterilising bottles, cleaning, making food, looking after my partner. She tends to sleep when she doesnt have the baby and I am feeling resentful.
I feel awful about the milk because I know how much effort went into expressing it, and I feel guilty about how I reacted. My partner comes from a difficult home and is clearly scared a bit by it. I've not reacted like that to anything before.
Has anyone else made a mistake like this or had a moment where they realised they were completely running on empty? How did you get through it?
Posted Aug 4, 2026, 8:44 AM UTC