I have 17 dirty nappies lying around my house from a day ago

A mum's habit of not immediately throwing out her kids' used nappies has exploded like a #3, sparking both adoration and outrage from all who get a whiff (ahem) of it.

How the "17 diapers" trend began. Image: TikTok

It began innocently enough, as many things about babies do.

Next minute, an overwhelmed mum captures herself walking around her house, seeing how many dirty nappies she has accrued in 24 hours.

Each nappy (or diaper as they're called in the US) is wrapped up like a samosa... just sitting on the kitchen bench, or in a small pile on the floor... not in a nappy bag. Or the bin.

As you can imagine, this mum and her 17 nappies has now gone absolutely viral - and taken on a life of its own.  

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

RELATED: They used the food tray as a baby changing table

"Dirty nappies are a huge health hazard"

Hannah, who goes by @nursehannahbh on TikTok, is a mum-of-two who made headlines after she shared that she had been tossing dirty nappies around her home after changing her kids.

The Utah-based mum's video sparked backlash as people on the web slammed her for promoting a "huge health hazard" by leaving used nappies in places such as the coffee table.

Now, Hannah is speaking out about the hate - and love - she received, and has admitted she was "embarrassed" about the first clip but, hoped it would help other parents who were feeling overwhelmed.

In the initial video, she says: "Let's pick up all the dirty diapers I have lying around my house right now.

"I kid you not, my guess is probably 15. They just get thrown around my house and then I put them in a bag at the end of the day.

"I have been solo-parenting for the last 24 hours so let's see how many dirty diapers I have lying around."

Many viewers couldn't believe what they were seeing, and slammed the mum for her "unhygienic" and "neglectful" habit of being so careless with human waste. 

But then the video exploded like a #3, and was 'stitched' by mums who could relate to the physical exhaustion and the mental load.

Mums said that Hannah's clip was "relatable" and that most mums have a "17 diapers" moment of their own - whether it be a mountain of dishes in the sink, or sofa full of laundry to sort.

How the "17 diapers" trend began. Image: TikTok

The media quickly got a whiff (sorry), of the viral trend

Speaking to People, the mum-of-two revealed that she had "no idea" her diaper video would go viral.

She said: "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. I didn’t think it was going to be controversial or honestly attract attention whatsoever.

"Then mums began sharing struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety. They were sharing how hard it was to get out of bed, to shower, and even feed themselves let alone breastfeeding a newborn."

Hannah hopes to continue sharing her story while also helping continue that community support for other parents.

"We are now coming together and supporting each other. Being a mother is insanely hard but also God’s greatest gift. At the end of the day I wouldn’t trade my '17 diapers' day for anything."

She concludes: "Yes, there were 17 diapers around my house but they 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."

Originally published as I have 17 dirty nappies lying around my house from a day ago