About Meconium

Lovely title, isn't it?

I have eight children.  Being a mother is not easy.  Let me say that again.  Being a mother.  Is. Not. Easy. But I get better at it as I go along.  Some of the things which troubled me as a young mother have become easier.  There are an awful lot of things I wish I'd known when I started.  I can't count the number of times I've kicked myself and shouted, "Why did it take me five (or six, or seven, or even eight) babies to figure this out?"  Maybe I'm just a wee bit dense.  I'd like to think I'm getting smarter.  But I do wish I'd known then some of the things I know now.  So this is my first post in a What I Wish I'd Known (or WIWIK) series.  I'll add to them as I remember.

What I Wish I'd Known about meconium:

It is sticky and black and somewhat gross.  It's hard to un-goo off your sweet little baby's new, delicate derriere.  It's a real mess.  I've even known mothers who have scrubbed hard enough to give their brand-new babies rashes.

Don't do that.  Babies are supposed to have velvety soft bottoms.  (The upper cheeks are softer and more kissable, in my opinion, but I digress).

Instead, get olive oil.  Put a small, bottle of olive oil in your newborn's changing area.  After every diaper change (starting at the very beginning!), smooth a little bit of oil (it's clean and all-natural and cheap!) on the diapered cheeks.  This keeps them soft and velvety.  And when the meconium does come, it wipes off so easily.  Like a dream.

Now go enjoy spend more time on the sweet baby and less time scraping baby tar.

That's all.