Moms Embrace the “17 Diapers” Trend to Share Their Stories

Parenting is overwhelming and the struggles and chaos can show up in so many different ways.

In a now-viral TikTok, Hannah, a travel nurse and mom of two (@nursehannahbh), shared how a crazy week spent taking care of her newborn and toddler while her husband was away led to a daily build-up of dirty diapers around the house. “Let’s pick up all the dirty diapers I have lying around my house,” she begins. “I don’t own a diaper pail or a Diaper Genie…[diapers] just kind of get thrown around my house and then we just collect them in a bag at the end of the day and take them out to the dumpster. I have been solo parenting for the last 24 hours so we are going to see how many dirty diapers we have laying around with two kids.”

As Hannah goes around her house to pick up the diapers to take them out to trash, she accumulates 17 diapers in total from on the coffee table to those in her bedroom. “No wonder my house friggin’ stinks right now,” she adds. In the comments, people were quickly split over whether 17 diapers were just too much or whether it was just a mom doing her best. “This is absolutely not relatable,” wrote one mom. While another pointed out, “Thats 17 times your sweet babies were prioritized over your house. It’s 17 times your sweet babies were cleaned and felt comfort and loved. Being a mom is hard. You got this momma!"

Out of the mixed judgment and support, the “17 diapers” trend was born. What started as a simple video quickly became a way for parents to get real about those not-so-glamorous, overwhelming parenting moments that can show up in unexpected ways. Parents flooded TikTok with their stories, often about the difficulties of parenting without a village or life postpartum.

“My 17 diapers was so bad I would hide in the closet to cry so my oldest kids didn;t see me. My 18 diapers was so bad I had to call my doctor and tell her I was having scary thought in my head and had to be put on medication. My 17 diapers was so bad that I didn’t shower for 12 days straight, but my babies were bathed,” Kendall Smith (@kendallsmith904), shared as part of the trend. “Let’s normalize postpartum struggles, 17 diapers means a baby was changed 17 times, loved and cared for.

“I’m 10 weeks postpartum and I don’t have 17 diapers but I don’t remember the last time I showered,” shared Hillary Wichlin, (@hillarywichlin). “I don’t have 17 diapers but I forget to take out my contacts every single night from exhaustion…Postpartum is incredibly difficult and I have help and I still find it incredibly difficult."

"I don’t know when we went from putting money in formula containers at the store because ‘She deserved the purse’ to shaming the mom with 17 diapers. We all have our form of 17 diapers. We just don’t all talk about. So here’s me talking about it because I think postpartum care in this country is just absolutely abysmal and we need to do a better job of taking care of our moms.”

Hundreds of parents followed suit with videos, including those like Zoe Hazel, (@zoeeehazel), who admitted her 17 diapers is still to painful to share out loud. The series serves as a candid reminder that postpartum moms don’t have it easy and we must try to continually support them. Hear from real parents on what is and isn’t helpful when welcoming baby, and don’t forget to ask ahead of time—your loved ones will appreciate it!