Poop in the Tub
I discussed constipation and poop in a previous post, but wanted to share a silly story that happened last night, regarding poop.
Noah, who is a couple weeks over one, takes a bath every night. Yes, to some, this might seem daunting, but for us, it is a nice time to bond after a crazy day of work and daycare, and it is a nice way to wind down before bedtime. Tim and I alternate who gives Noah a bath and since our tub is so massive, we end up hopping in the tub with him too. Our tub is deep and large and has a tiled ledge around it, making it impossible to lean over to safely give Noah a bath. It is much easier to get in there with him and splash around with his toys.
Last night was my husband’s night to take a bath with Noah. Whoever is not in the tub with him, usually tidies up downstairs in his toy area, gets the straw cups of water and milk ready to bring upstairs for when we read books, and does whatever little chores need doing.
Last night, as I am filling up Noah’s cup of water to bring up, I hear “Mommy…Erin…HELP, HELP!”
Noah had been struggling to poop ever since we got home from daycare and I immediately knew he had pooped in the tub.
I ran upstairs to my husband asking me to grab Noah, who he had dangling above the ledge area of the tub. My husband then proceeded to tell me, because I couldn’t see it, that he lifted Noah as fast as he could when he realized he was pooping in the bath, and had him poop on the outer ledge of the bath tub. My husband said that it was everywhere and for me to take Noah into his room and put him on his changing pad. I did just that, cleaning any poop off of his rear, while my husband jumped out of the tub, cleaning himself off.
Meanwhile, Noah was kind of whining and crying, which he usually does after he poops because we think he hates the feeling of it. Also, he poops the size of a grown man, which cannot feel too pleasant. He calmed down fairly quickly and all was right in the world after he had his jammies on and books were being read in his room.
After Noah went to bed, we cleaned all of his toys and the tub, ready for maybe another round of brown water bathing, tonight, when it is my bath night. Oh no!
Through this whole process, my husband and I stayed calm, as we really try to make an effort to do. Whatever happens is out of our control and getting upset or anxious about it, only makes the situation worse. Also, babies are so smart and can pick up on your feelings. If we were freaking out, I feel like it would have made Noah scared or nervous and would not have helped the scenario at hand.
What’s a little poop anyways? This will not be the last time this happens and I’m thankful my husband was home, because if it were me in the tub with him, I wonder if I’d even know there was a surprise floating by me in the bath tub.