Newborn diapering dilema! Am I overdoing it?

22 years ago

Hi moms! I have a question regarding diapering. My daughter is now 15 days old. I feel like we change her diaper ALL THE TIME! I have heard that newborns go through 10 diapers or so a day. Well, it feels more like 20 in our house. Sometimes, we change her, and then immediately hear another "explosion". Now, we are taking to waiting at least ten minutes before changing again, or we could go through 6 diapers in a half an hour. Usually, her active times are right after a feeding. Also, I usually change her diaper right before a feeding, and often I will notice that she has gone right before I am about to start nursing her. Then, I wait until we are done before I change her. Is that bad? Is it bad to keep her in a dirty diaper?

This is all new to me!

Thanks in advance!

Angelique, mom to Daphne, born 1/14/02

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Comments (7)

Becky_M
22 years ago
yep - sounds like newborn diapering to me! (Now does anyone wonder why I use cloth? HA!)

No, you're not overdoing it....especially if she poops often. But if she's not fussing about a messy diaper and will tolerate it until she's done with nursing, she should be okay.
You might want to wait a bit on the wet ones, but keep a close watch on her skin, to make sure that she's not getting rash from staying in a wet diaper. (Newborn skin is especially susceptible to gel-burn, so you have to be careful.)
jayme24baby
22 years ago
sounds like my dd and she is 12 wks.old just the other day she went through like 3 diapers in about 5 minutes.
my lactation consultant told me that when they nurse it moves their bowels so dd will poop or wet when she's nursing and when she comes off for a rest i'll usually change her right away. big mistake. i have done this more than once (you'd think i'd learn:) and she will either poop on the bed, poop on me, or poop in the nice clean diaper i put on her.
anyway, i think it's great that you change her right away. we always have and her ped. always comments about her nice clear butt:)
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amygdala
22 years ago
It's normal to grow into feeling secure with each other. And, newborns do have sensitive skin, and disposables will hold a lot of 'wetness.' It's normal to feel anxious about and to be very diligent about diaper changing, especially in the first couple months. It's probably good for mothers and babies anyway because it increases physical contact during the initial time when babies aren't yet fully interactive on their own too much. It helps you both to learn how to read each other's cues and things.

Their stomachs are small and so are all their GI organs. As newborns eating on demand, as they are wired from the start to do, they are probably pretty routinely excreting most of the time too. It's normal and natural.

They will grow, and you'll probably notice your baby becoming more interactive and communicative. Later on in the first year you'll know you've come a long way when the timing of the last change is completely forgotten (it's easier to lose track of that when the baby in question is doing more things). Make a note of the concern you have now and hide it away someplace you will come across it in about 10 months.

it doesn't sound like you're over doing it, but if you feel exceptionally unsure or anxious about your baby and it interferes with how you function then you should mention that to your doctor because it can be a symptom which should be managed and which deserves attention
trekaren
22 years ago
Newborns have a small digestive tract. So --- wait around 10 minutes after a pee or poop because usually, more is on the way :-)

Ten minutes shouldn't give them a rash because at this age they are all formula- or breast-milk and the #1/#2 isn't as tough on the skin.
talley_sue_nyc
22 years ago
poop and pee together are the worst for diaper rash; next comes poop by itself, and last pee.

Your own eyes and ears will tell you whether you're safe letting her sit in it for a few minutes. if she starts to get red, go back to changing more often.

Trust the evidence of your own eyes--and remember that this is not a life-or-death, mentally-scarred-for-life issue (they all seem so important when you're in the middle of them; I remember that!). If it turns out you're wrong, there will be no serious harm done.
jenibv
22 years ago
My little one went constantly...so don't feel bad. She still goes a lot but the doctor told me not to worry that her plumbing works great.

I finally went out and bought a few diaper covers to help with the leaks. The first 6 weeks of her life I was constantly changing her, especially at night. She would go through her clothes, sheets and blanket. Amazing.

I swear by the diaper covers for nighttime disasters.
michie1
22 years ago
I found that I needed to change my daughter both before & after a feeding. If you hear an explosion & change her right away & then need to a few minutes later then it's not likely she was done with her bm when you first changed her. Give her a few minutes to finish up. If you think her stools isn't looking like it should then I might discuss it with your pediatrician to make sure there isn't anything going on GI wise.

Newborn diapering dilema! Am I overdoing it?

Comments (7)

Becky_M

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