New Mom Counts 17 Dirty Diapers Laying Around Her House After Parenting Solo For 24 Hours — And Other Moms Are Sharing Their Dirty Diaper Numbers With Her
“My main priority that day was making sure that my newborn was fed and that my toddler was not picking up my newborn by its legs.”
dashapetrenkophotos | Canva Pro After a mom shared a realistic depiction of what the newborn trenches could do to the condition of your home, she was met with relentless criticism. While some people believed that she was forcing her family to live in unsanitary conditions, others pointed out the reality that she was a freshly postpartum mom with little help from her partner and two babies to look after.
Not everything in her home would be picture-perfect, and the most important thing was that her children were being well cared for despite the mess that littered the floors.
The new mom collected a total of 17 dirty diapers strewn around her house over a 24-hour period of solo parenting.
Hannah, a travel nurse and mother of two, documented the state of her home just five days after welcoming her second baby. While any parent knows how difficult the adjustment to life with a newborn can be, hers is just a tad more challenging than average, considering that her husband decided to go away on a hunting trip and she also had a toddler to care for.
After a day of parenting alone, Hannah decided to count the number of diapers she had changed and left around the house.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 5 million times, Hannah collected a total of 17 diapers that had been left in various parts of the house after she had changed them.
She explained that she doesn’t own a diaper genie or any other device that makes diaper disposal more feasible.
“No wonder why my house freakin' stinks right now!” Hannah said once she picked up all of the diapers and threw them away.
The video sparked mixed reactions from viewers, but moms in the trenches were quick to praise her honest glimpse of life with a newborn.
Some people found it disturbing and unsanitary that the mom left so many dirty diapers around her house without throwing them out.
“This is absolutely not relatable,” one TikTok user commented.
“You don’t need a diaper genie to throw away diapers! Hope this helps!” another user wrote.
“Why are they sprinkled around your house like an Easter egg hunt?” another wondered.
Diego Cervo | Canva Pro
While some people were clearly baffled as to why the mom didn’t just throw away the diapers as soon as she changed them, other parents could relate all too well to her struggles.
“I stand with the mother. Being a mom is HARD. Postpartum is REAL. Her baby is eating and peeing. And if that’s all she got done today, I’m good with that,” one TikTok user wrote.
“At least the diapers are getting changed! You have absolutely no idea what she is going through,” another user noted.
“17 diapers means 17 times that baby was loved on, cleaned up, and cared for,” another commented.
The most important thing at the end of the day is ensuring babies are fed, clean, and dry, and a messy house is clear evidence of that!
Dirty dishes left in the sink mean that they ate. Piles of unfolded laundry means that their clothes are being washed. And dirty diapers left strewn about mean that they are not marinating in their waste all day.
Newborns require diaper changes every couple of hours, and it's as important as making sure they are fed because soiled diapers can cause everything from skin irritations to bladder infections in infants.
Who cares if the house isn’t tidied up? Where would there even be time to do it when you are flying solo parenting?
If anything, this mom deserves praise and grace for doing what is necessary to take care of her babies. She is certainly doing a hell of a lot more than the children’s father, who decided that five days after welcoming a new baby would be the perfect time to go on a hunting trip (as expected, the father has received little criticism — and he didn’t change a single one of those diapers).
Even if walking over to a garbage pail or diaper genie to throw away your child’s soiled diaper may seem like an effortless task, it can be quite the struggle for a freshly postpartum mother.
More than 1 in 10 new moms will experience postpartum depression and anxiety, making it difficult to do basic tasks.
It can be overwhelming to get into the swing of things when you are running on little sleep, and your baby is adjusting to their own new world, especially when you do not have the help of a partner, family, or friends.
If there are a few diapers scattered here and there, it is not the end of the world, nor does it mean that you are an unequipped mother allowing her kids to live in unsanitary conditions.
You are just human, trying your very best.
In a follow-up video, Hannah addressed the mom-shamers by clarifying that not only was she five days postpartum and single-parenting, but that she was also battling some kind of flu.
“The only reason I was possibly able to accumulate 17 dirty diapers in my house … I’m pretty sure that I had some flu or some sort of bug. I was in straight survival mode taking care of two kids by myself,” she said.
“My husband was out of town, and I could barely get myself off the couch to go to the bathroom, let alone take care of a newborn and a toddler all by myself.”
She also pointed out that newborns tend to go through a lot of diapers in one day, and that they’re not always full or smelly.
“My main priority that day was making sure that my newborn was fed and that my toddler was not picking up my newborn by its legs.”
Despite the backlash she received from internet strangers who believed they knew better, Hannah claimed that it didn't compare to all of the love she had received from other parents who recognized all of her hard work.
There has been an outpouring of parents who have their very own “17 diapers” story — whether it be 17 piles of unfolded laundry or 17 dishes piled in the sink that were overlooked in the midst of keeping the kids alive and well.
Instead of bashing parents for not having a sparkling-clean home, we can offer them support, a helping hand, and even a home-cooked meal so that they do not have to worry about a dirty kitchen on top of a diaper grenade.
And while we’re at it, someone should really remind Hannah’s husband not to go hunting just days after his wife gave birth and do his own part as a parent.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.