Things you ought to know yet nobody tells you

Two things we've learned in our household.

1. Lots of women poo when giving birth.

Eeeeeewwww! That little fact made the ladies in mum and dad's antenatal classes gasp in horror, while all the men couldn't help letting out little sniggers. Apparantly it happens all the time. So why, in all the conversations with other mums didn't that piece of dignity saving advice pop up? We heard horror stories til the cows came home of long labours, emergency ceasars and other gory stories, but nothing about this. What is so taboo about 'The-poo-which-shall-not-be-spoken-of'? I've decided it is my duty as a less than one week old, with the birth still fresh in my mind, to tell you to be prepared. Anyway, mum was ready and avoided this little incident by preparing. Heed our warning...

2. Belly button stumps stink.

Everybody loves a newborn baby. Nobody loves rotting flesh. When the two collide it's a recipe for more 'eewwwwws'. I developed a bit of a pongy belly button on day 3. My stumpy thing started to smell. Interestingly enough, the belly button stump may be the only part of the body that doesn't come with a fancy latin name - I'd vote for stumpius pongius . Anyway, before we get back onto the topic at hand, in trying to find a medical term for the umbelical stump dad found reference to 'Lotus Birth' which is a practice of not cutting the cord until it falls away naturally. And you thought our family was weird! After that discovery a smelly little belly button stump doesn't sound too bad at all!