THE DIAPER BATTLE

Before I gave birth to my baby girl, “diaper” is a strange word to me. While it is true that I have nephews and nieces, I was never the type who would bother to meddle with the caring and nursing of these little ones. I keep myself away from these little tyrants. I may cuddle them or play with them but only for a short period of time. And so, of course I never get the chance to change diapers. My ignorance may come shocking to everyone but I would admit that I have never even touched a diaper not until the day I gave birth.    

Well, I am not proud of my embarrassing firsthand experience of changing a diaper. I do not know why I have not thought of learning how to do it before the big D-Day. It just slipped off my mind because I had assumed my husband knows how to do it. It appeared I had assumed too much.

When the nurse brought in my baby to reunite with me after my operation, all the motherly instincts came rushing in. I held her in my arms, smelled her, kissed her, touched her, and fed her. But I was not prepared that after feeding would come the “pooping.” My motherly instincts failed when it came to changing diapers.

The same nurse came in to check on me and on the baby and said I have to change the soiled diaper. All the while, I was thinking the nurse would help me. To my horror, she left me struggling with the diaper and the screaming baby. I honestly did not know what I was doing and so I screamed at my husband to call the nurse back.  My husband said the task was so simple and he took over. Yet he also struggled with the diaper while muttering that I should have called my mother to teach me all the things I needed to learn about caring for the baby. After a few minutes of struggle, my husband finally managed to fasten the diaper. To disguise my shame, I just said I could not function well with my CS cut.

But what did my first changing diaper- experience teach me? That wives should not assume their husbands know how to change diapers and vice versa. Kidding aside, my first diaper battle opened my mind to a whole new world. It is just one among the wonderful experiences that a parent could marvel upon while on the road to parenthood. And while I struggle to learn everything about how to nurse and care for my baby, I carry with me the hopes of every parent that his/her child shall be brought up well and become great someday.

So, here's how to change a diaper:

1.	Open up a new clean diaper and place the back half (the half with tabs on either side) under your baby. The top of the back half should come up to your baby's waist. Now the clean diaper is ready to go – and is there to protect your changing table from getting dirty. (If your baby's dirty diaper is a big mess, you might want to lay a cloth, towel, or disposable pad under your baby instead of the clean diaper while you clean up your baby.)
2.	Unfasten the tabs on the dirty diaper. To prevent them from sticking to your baby, fold them over.
3.	Pull down the front half of the dirty diaper. If your baby is a boy, you might want to cover his penis with a clean cloth or another diaper so he doesn't pee on either of you.
4.	If there's poop in the diaper, use the front half of the diaper to wipe the bulk of it off your baby's bottom.
5.	Fold the dirty diaper in half under your baby, clean side up. (This provides a layer of protection between the clean diaper and your baby's unclean bottom.) To do this, you'll need to lift your baby's bottom off the table by grasping both ankles with one hand and gently lifting upward.
6.	Clean your baby's front with a damp baby wipe, cloth, or gauze. If your baby's a girl, wipe from front to back (toward her bottom). This helps keep bacteria from causing an infection.
7.	If your baby pooped, grab another wipe and clean her bottom. You can either lift her legs or roll her gently to one side then the other. Be sure to clean in the creases of your baby's thighs and buttocks, too.
8.	Let your baby's skin air dry for a few moments or pat it dry with a clean cloth. To help treat or prevent diaper rash, you may want to apply rash cream or petroleum jelly. (The best defense against diaper rash is a dry bottom, achieved through regular diaper checks and changes.)
9.	Remove the dirty diaper and set it aside. If you followed step one, the clean one should be underneath your baby, ready to go.
10.	Pull the front half of the clean diaper up to your baby's tummy. For a boy, be sure to point the penis down so he's less likely to pee over the top of the diaper.
11.	If your baby is a newborn, avoid covering the umbilical cord stump until it's dried and fallen off. You can buy special disposable diapers with a notch cut out for the stump or fold down the front half of a regular diaper.
12.	Make sure that the part of the diaper between your baby's legs is spread as wide as seems comfortable. Too much bunching in that area can cause chafing and discomfort.
13.	Fasten the diaper at both sides with the tabs. The diaper should be snug but not so tight that it pinches. Make sure the tabs aren't sticking to your baby's skin.
14.	All changed!