We needed three people to change her nappy the other night; one to keep her hands from scratching her already blistered body, another to hold her legs , whilst the third did the actual cleaning. Sadly though, we were only two.
Every first time mom worries about what life with a baby has in store. “Will I be able to produce enough milk for my little one”, “How will I revolve my life around someone else’s needs”, and “Will I know how to change a nappy” are but a few of the thoughts running through a soon to be mom’s head. Luckily for me, nappy changing wasn’t one of them. I’d been changing nappies since I was nine or ten years old so I was pretty confidant with my nappy changing abilities, that is, until I saw the blisters. Painful, raw private areas that sometimes stuck to baby’s gauze or diapers were NEVER a part of my nappy changing plans. I’d always envisioned spending three minutes at a time, at most, on nappy duty. Today, it takes me anywhere from five to twenty minutes to change my little girl’s nappy, depending on how severe the blistered area is.
For those who’ve never been exposed to EB, a typical nappy change(for a mild case of EB) goes something like this:
I hold my daughter’s legs down whilst loosening the nappy’s straps. It’s as if releasing the nappy equals freedom, so she kicks at anything and everything that happens to be in range, even the air. Holding her legs down is the best way of ensuring that she doesn’t accidentally rip off some skin that may have gotten stuck to her nappy. I always need to be vigilant of where her hands are during this time as as she’s quick to scratch any exposed area, be it her head, face, tummy or bottom… everywhere is fair game. So, whilst holding her legs and watching her hands, I go about peeling of the mepitel and gauze that cover the affected area, ensuring that I do not pull off any of her skin that had somehow gotten stuck to it. Once the mepitel is removed, it’s operation clean-up, using cotton wool and water, as wet wipes is too harsh on her skin. Thereafter we apply clean mepitel onto the affected areas and close the nappy, only to repeat the process a short while later. This process however is often interrupted by scratching and kicking and comments such as “Baby, please don’t scratch! I’m almost done. It’s your head itching? Okay, let me rub it for you.” Followed by shrieks of “But now don’t scratch your faaaaaaace! No baby! don’t scratch your stomach! Put your hands down! Lift your legs for mommy! No leave the mepitel on! NO don’t scratch! BABY, WHERE DID THIS MEPITEL COME FROM???”. It can be quite exhausting. There are even times where I pin her legs down with mine just so that I can get the job done a little bit faster. Thankfully though, I don’t always do this alone. At times, my husband assists, and other times it’s other members of the family.
In these past eight months, nappy cleaning has taught me to appreciate family and pounce on assistance when it’s offered. Through this, I’ve learnt that nothing is impossible and have surprisingly gained some time management skills. But most of all, I’ve learnt not to take the little things for granted.
God has gifted us with so much goodness, yet we fail to recognise and appreciate them simply because they’ve become a part of who we are. Ask a blind person what it’s like to not see, or a deaf person about not being able to hear and you will surely appreciate these God given gifts. Speak to the ailing to value your health and the poor to appreciate all that you’ve been given. Ask someone with EB about life in bandages and pain, and you’re sure to leave that conversation, a more thankful and grateful you.
Show thanks to The Almighty, and He will give you more!
