Some of you know, I’m lucky enough to be doing some writing for Desitin this year! I just submitted my second piece to them and will be writing a third and final piece by the end of the year. It’s been A LOT of fun for me and also really exciting, thrilling, and rewarding. People have been asking me for years, “why aren’t you a professional writer? When are you going to write a book?” My answer usually involves some hemming and hawing, some “maybe later when I have more time,” and a few other excuses. Now I can tell them that while I haven’t written my book yet (though I did START before Caleb was born… so “A” for effort), I’m technically doing some professional writing… right?!
Anyway, I wanted to include the first piece I wrote for Desitin here on my blog. Some of you might have already read it over on their Tumblr (thank you if you did!) but I also wanted to share it here too. I like to have all of my writing in one place, and for those you who haven’t seen it yet… ta-da!
What I Wish I’d Known About Diaper Rash
This piece originally appeared as a sponsored post on the Desitin Tumblr.
Long before my baby was born, I had terrible, scary visions… visions of a shrieking baby, red in the face and even redder on the butt. The thought of the dreaded diaper rash was enough to send me to the store, three months before he was even born, to stock up on creams and ointments when I caught them on sale. My two best friends accompanied me on this mission, and one of them, a former daycare teacher, schooled me on the diaper rash cream basics and how many I’d need. I had a tube in the diaper bag, a tube in the nursery, and a tube in the living room. Armed with my supplies, I was ready to tackle the rash as soon as the first one cropped up.
Being a bit of a planner, and a giant worry-wart to boot, I thought of – and worried about – every single scary baby scenario one could conceive, long before my son was even conceived himself. Diaper rash was one at the top of the list. What I wish I had known before? It doesn’t need to be quite so scary.
Having a baby and being a new mom is TOUGH. It is, undoubtedly, the hardest thing I’ve ever done (and this includes a triple digit weight loss and a half-marathon). Babies tend to cry and fuss about A LOT of things – after all, it’s their only means of communication – but diaper rash doesn’t need to be one of them.
Don’t hate me for saying this, but I’ve been lucky enough to avoid diaper rash for the most part, and my fears about the topic have proven to be unfounded and unnecessary. Sure, I’ve seen the red tushy, but we’ve been able to avoid the red-faced shrieking, at least when it comes to diaper rash (trust me, I’ve seen the shrieking but it tends to be for other things). The moment I see any redness, I immediately apply Desitin to the area so I can stop it in its tracks. It tends to lighten up and disappear pretty quickly since I tend to act so quickly. I also apply creams and ointments a few times a week even when he doesn’t have any redness. I figure if I can prevent it from happening in the first place, that’s one less thing for baby to cry about (and trust me, they cry a lot… you’re not alone!).
Fellow new moms… don’t be scared of diaper rash! If you can prevent it, or at least treat it very quickly, it never has to become an issue that’s worth fearing. I know how hard motherhood can be. Diaper rash doesn’t have to make it any harder. And for the record? Even though motherhood is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it’s also the best thing I’ve ever done. Don’t let your fears take away any of the sweet and fleeting baby moments… they go by fast!
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