A new mother has addressed the viral criticism she received after finding 17 dirty diapers in her home.
Hannah, who goes by the username @nurshannahbh on TikTok, recently spoke to People about her candid video on parenting. In the clip, which has more than six million views, the mother of two was seen collecting all of the 17 “dirty diapers lying around her house” after just one day, noting she didn’t own a diaper pail. She also admitted how “embarrassing” it was that the diapers were scattered throughout the house.
In the viral video, Hannah walked around her entire house as she picked up diapers from the coffee table, behind the couch, and on the bedroom floor. “No wonder my house freaking stinks right now,” she said.
Viewers in the comments were quick to criticize the mother, claiming her content was “not relatable” and that they were “confused” about why she left dirty diapers around her home.
However, Hannah explained that she never expected it her video to go viral. She also only made the clip to show how shocked she was by the amount of dirty diapers in her home. “I don’t think I realized how many diapers I had changed that day. I just pulled out my phone and filmed a funny video,” she explained to People. “I didn’t think it was going to be controversial or honestly attract attention whatsoever.”
According to Hannah, who welcomed her second child one month ago, “99 percent” of the initial attention towards her video was negative. Although she was “a little embarrassed” by the backlash, she tried not to take it to heart. “Those people judging me don’t actually see what goes on inside my house,” she said.
She went on to defend herself as a parent, adding: “Yes, there were 17 diapers around my house but [viewers] didn’t see me coloring with my son, while breastfeeding my newborn at the same time. They didn’t see me taking my son to the park, pushing him on the swing, while holding my newborn.”
Hannah also noted that in the comments of her video, some people criticized her husband for not taking care of their newborn. However, she clarified that she wasn’t upset at her husband, as he was taking an overnight trip that she knew about. “My husband had a planned hunting trip for over a year. He was gone for one day. We both agreed that I could manage the kids,” she explained.
Despite some of the criticism in the comments, other people sent Hannah messages of support. They also detailed how they could relate to her experience, and hit back at the backlash she faced for not cleaning her house.
“That’s 17 times your sweet babies were prioritized over your house. It’s 17 times your sweet babies were cleaned and felt comforted and loved. Being a mom is hard. You got this momma!” one person commented.
“[Postpartum] is so hard and doing it alone is crazy, no one should ever judge a mother freshly PP in my opinion. Thank you for keeping those babies clean and well fed, you’re doing amazing,” another added.
“I know those babies are clean, dry, happy, and fed. So good for you mama! You are doing amazing with two babies alone!” a third wrote.
In a follow-up video, Hannah responded to the praise, revealing that she had scrolled through other TikTok videos made by mothers who also had dirty diapers around their house. “Ten thousand negative judgmental comments on one video and countless shaming videos don’t compare to the support I feel watching the 17 diapers trend,” she wrote in the text over the clip.
The Independent has contacted Hannah for comment.
