Becoming a mum changes your life in dozens of ways, but before I had my baby boy, I didn't realise just quite how much I'd be talking about poop on a daily basis. We’re talking the colour, consistency, the frequency, even the aroma… yep nothing is off limits when it comes to baby poop. Indeed, the other day I was making myself a cup of tea after changing my baby boy and low and behold I spotted some dried poop still on the back of my hand, which I had already washed by the way before I get accused of hygiene violations. Anyway, even though I’d spotted it, I finished making the cup of tea and even had a sup before washing my hands again… because a hot cup of tea is a rarity as a mammy… priorities people, priorities!
Anyway, between that and clearing up after my King Charles Lily and trying to thwart a rogue neighbourhood cat who has taken to using my flower bed as it’s jacks, I have realised that my life revolves around poop these days.
Now, pre-baby Niamh would have been pretty grossed out by that fact. I mean I was that person who handed a baby back to their parents pronto if I sniffed a full nappy. I was that person who would turn the tap on when in the bathroom in the early days of my relationship with my now husband, for fear he might hear a plop. And when I was pregnant, I can distinctly remember my mum saying to me ‘oh when it’s your own child, you won’t mind,’ I smiled politely, but inside I was thinking ‘yeah right! Gross! I better invest in some surgical gloves and a hazmat suit for when the baby comes along.’ But you know what, like most things, she was right. My baby’s poop doesn’t bother me at all… in fact poop in general has become less of an issue. I mean okay it’s not pleasant and I’m not about to start discussing random peoples bowel habits or anything, but when it comes to my own baby, the topic has carte blanche and indeed myself and my husband have talked about it in great detail.
I can remember when my son was just a few weeks old and both my husband and I were in that horrible haze of sleep deprivation and new parent 'cluelessness' that goes with the territory. Anyway he was in the other room doing a nappy change one evening and he yelled, ‘he’s pooped’ with great relief. The child must not have gone for a little while and constipation was our biggest fear! I remember yelling back to him, ‘great but what’s the consistency like?’ to which he replied ‘well, do you want to come and touch it and see for yourself!!?’ Yeah, needless to say things were a bit tetchy at the time!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, it’s only poop, we all do it and as new parents we are all talking about it... lots, so let’s all calm down… but having said that, if a person hands back my baby to me after he’s filled his nappy, I can totally understand that too!