Yikes! How to Handle a Diaper Explosion

IMG_8330Imagine this scenario: You’re feeding your new baby. She’s calm. Everything around you is silent. Your husband and son are playing quietly together in a room down the hall. It’s just you and your little girl, snuggled together on a chair watching each other as she eats.

And then it happens.

Sometimes the sound is soft, like turning the faucet on slightly. Other times the sound shocks you, and you don’t know how it could escape out of such a tiny little human who can’t even hold her own head up yet.

This, my friends, is my life. My tiny little human loves to poop, and many times when she does, it turns into the case of a diaper explosion.

What is a diaper explosion?

Well, it’s simple. Diapers are meant to keep baby poop and pee contained. A diaper explosion is what happens when the poop can’t be contained!

Identify the type of diaper explosion you’re dealing with

There’s the wet stuff. It’s practically water, except that it’s the color of poop, and it usually comes along with some of the thicker stuff. I call this garbage truck juice, because it seems to just leak out of the diaper, through clothing, and onto whatever the baby is against.

Oh, and there’s the poop that you think is over, when in fact it really isn’t. You’ve already wiped your baby and just placed a brand new, fresh diaper underneath her bum. What happens next? Before you can secure the straps, round #2 happens, and it’s all over your changing table. Time to change the baby once more!

Or, there’s a different type of poop: the semi-silent, slightly odorous, surprise-you-as-it-sneaks-out-of-the-diaper-and-all-the-way-up-your-child’s-back type of poop.

What to do if your baby has a diaper explosion

Easy – call your local HazMat team.

Okay, I was just joking about that, but you have some options. If you’ve identified that your baby had a diaper explosion, you have some options on how to proceed.

  1. Strip the clothing and diapers off of your baby and just throw it all out. Have you ever tried washing baby poop out of clothing? It isn’t easy. There isn’t much about parenting that’s simple. Take the easy route with this one and just toss everything the poop has come in contact with.
  2. Call in backup. Have a husband or wife or child or parent or friend who lives with you? Don’t hesitate to tag them in for diaper duty. Live alone? Make friends with some neighbors and bribe them to handle the diaper explosion for you.
  3. Buckle down and deal with the diaper explosion on your own. You may need a gas mask or industrial gloves before you’re willing to actually touch your little human, but it’s your responsibility to take care of. Block your nose and get to work!

If there’s anything I’ve learned when dealing with a diaper explosion it’s to keep your baby’s feet out of the way while cleaning and wash the clothing immediately. How about you? Have you ever experienced a diaper explosion? Were you able to handle it on your own or did you need to call in backups? Let me know in the comments!

This entry was posted in Baby O.

Pregnancy Update: 16 weeks

IMG_5721.JPGHow far along? 16 weeks and 3 days

Total weight gain: -2. I’m working on gaining weight in my 2nd trimester. Never did I think this would be a problem I’d have!

Maternity clothes? I love maternity pants. I am so much more comfortable wearing maternity jeans that my old jeans which still fit, but are so tight on the belly.

Stretch Marks? None yet.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping pretty well overall, but my sleep is much different than it was before I got pregnant. I notice that I wake up more often in the night, and I’m very alert when I wake up (usually to roll over).

Miss Anything? I miss a bunch of stuff like coffee, adult beverages, cold cut sandwiches, oysters, tuna, and any kind of sushi. But to be honest with you, I’ve barely given any of it any thought this entire pregnancy. I thought I’d care much more, but I haven’t noticed missing anything except randomly if it pops in my head.

Movement: I don’t think I’ve had any movement yet. Last week I felt something that could have been a “flutter,” but I haven’t felt it since, so I’m not sure if I truly felt anything or not. The baby moved when my doctor was checking the heartbeat this week, but I couldn’t feel it happen!

Food cravings: I don’t think I have any actual cravings yet. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are one of the only lunches I actually enjoy. I’m definitely at the point where I am getting more interested in food. Other food I seem to be enjoying: strawberries, cheese of any kind, homemade pickles, green juice.

Aversions: Oh, yes. This entire pregnancy so far has been about aversions. Up until about a week or two ago, meat was my arch enemy. I didn’t like thinking about it, looking at it, smelling it, and I certainly wasn’t interested in eating it. This was horrible. I’m a big meat eater, and I don’t enjoy being grossed out by a food I usually love. I’ve been trying really hard to eat a little bit of meat if I can. I’m also grossed out by eggs, which is another one of my favorite foods.

Gender: We will find out in about three weeks. I 100% truly do not care whether this baby is a boy or girl. Growing up, I always wanted a little boy first, as I had two older brothers, and that was my “normal.” I’m so fortunate to have Wolverine as a stepson, so I no longer need to worry about having a boy first. I’ve got one. All three of us would be happy with any gender baby, and we’re just looking forward to finding out.

Symptoms: Headaches that last all week, round ligament pain, and occasional uncomfortable feeling near my coccyx (bottom of my spine near my butt).

Belly button in or out? In still.

Wedding rings on or off? On still.

Mood: I truly didn’t feel hormonal at all in the first trimester. I’m starting to feel it here and there now. Nothing with consistency, but I might find myself a bit weepy while watching a commercial, and I definitely have a lot to say to other drivers (hint: it’s usually not nice). I’m convinced this baby will come out with road rage. That’s really the only time I find myself feeling hormonal.

Looking forward to: Everything about pregnancy. I want my belly to get bigger and my baby to grow. I’m excited to find out the baby’s gender. I find it completely amazing that I’m growing a human inside of me, and I just want to enjoy the entire pregnancy experience.

Thoughts: Now that I’m out of the first trimester, I feel like I’m kind of on a pregnancy-high. Besides the occasional discomfort, I’m currently really loving pregnancy. It’s not that I didn’t love pregnancy in the first trimester, it’s simply that I felt like crap. Plus, I was so worried about growing the baby. I just wanted to get past the miscarriage stage. I also wanted to feel more human again. I felt like I’d never be 16 weeks pregnant, and here I am. Actually, I’m nearing 17 weeks by the time this posts. I just feel so blessed to be here. Also, if you want me to be honest, I adore my belly. The picture that goes with this post isn’t even a great one, but I just love to look at that belly growing.

The Big News

I’m so grateful for participating in NaBloPoMo during November 2014. You see, I’ve been keeping a secret from you. A secret that I’ve known since November 13, 2014. A secret that stunted me from writing so much, because I was simply sure I would tell you the truth before we were ready. NaBloPoMo kept me writing through the early days in the secret, and as you can tell from the following two months, my secret has silenced me.

It isn’t that I don’t want to write to you. I do. I’ve simply been unsure of what to share. But now I’m ready to tell you the big news with Wolverine’s help.photo copy.

We’re going to have a baby!

We are all so very excited to welcome a baby this coming July. Telling everyone has been an absolute joy, and I’m so grateful not to keep any more secrets from you all or anyone else! Be prepared for an extreme increase in blog posting from little ol’ me, because I have a lot of catching up to do!

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