Woman Left Fuming After Mother-in-Law Throws Away Her Breastmilk — With Husband’s Approval

A mother is speaking out after discovering that her carefully stored breastmilk was discarded — not by accident, but with the approval of her husband and mother-in-law — and without anyone telling her.

In a now-viral Reddit post, the woman explained that before leaving on an eight-month trip abroad, she stored her breastmilk stash in the freezer at home. Although she suspected the milk might not remain fresh enough to feed her baby upon return, she planned to use it for other purposes like milk baths or soap making.

“I had a frozen stash in our large freezer. Before leaving, we moved it to the smaller one and unplugged the big one to save energy,” she wrote. “The small freezer stayed plugged in specifically to keep that milk frozen. I told my husband not to throw it out — under any circumstance.”

Despite those clear instructions, the milk didn’t survive. While the woman and her baby were away, her husband returned home to do some renovations. When she got back and looked for the stash, it was gone. At first, her husband claimed he didn’t know what had happened. Moments later, he admitted his mother may have thrown it out — with his permission.

“She asked if she could toss it, and he said yes,” the woman wrote. “They were both in the kitchen. Not only did they make the decision behind my back, but they also never told me. I had to discover it myself.”

The situation escalated quickly when she confronted them. The mother-in-law told her to “stop yelling” because it was “not good for our son,” while the husband sided with his mom, going so far as to call his wife a “bad mom” for raising her voice.

The poster clarified that the issue wasn’t just about spoiled breastmilk: “It’s about the lack of respect, communication, and basic consideration. I told my husband repeatedly how important that stash was to me. I may have thrown it away myself after checking it — but I wanted that to be my decision.”

She added that she’s had a long, rocky history with her in-laws and that this betrayal — especially her husband’s shifting explanations and lack of accountability — has made her reconsider her relationship with him.

“I’m being made to feel like I’ve lost my mind, but I know I’m not overreacting,” she said. “This changes how I see my husband completely.”

Other mothers in the comments were quick to back her up, with one writing: “You are not overreacting. It takes an incredible amount of time and effort to build up a milk stash. Your frustration is entirely valid.”

The emotional post has since sparked a larger conversation online about boundaries, respect in marriages, and the emotional labor mothers often carry alone.