‘17 Diapers’ Trend Makes Postpartum Moms Feel Less Alone

On Oct. 5, a mom of two shared a video on TikTok of her search for dirty diapers lying around her house. In all, she found 17 of them.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 5 million times to date, Hannah, who goes by @nursehannahbh on TikTok, said that she doesn't own any sort of diaper pail. Instead, diapers "kind of just get thrown around my house, and we just collect them in a bag at the end of the day and take them out to the dumpster."

On this particular occasion, Hannah walked through her house to collect diapers that had been accumulating while she parented solo for 24 hours. Her husband went hunting while she stayed home with her toddler and 3-week-old baby. She posted a follow-up video, saying that she felt like she had “the flu or some sort of bug” on the 17 diaper day, so she was in “survival mode.”

Comments on the original post varied widely between those who valued her honesty and those who were ... not as supportive.

In addition to those quick comments, some women have been posting more thoughtful, nuanced responses to Hannah's “17 diaper” situation.

Isabella, who goes by @justisabellaj on Tiktok said that having 17 diapers scattered throughout the house “is probably a symptom of a much bigger issue.” She added, “Postpartum depression and anxiety is so real, and it can be crippling for many moms and make them not do normal activities that other moms can do easily.”

She said that instead of criticizing another mom, we should reach out to help her.

Some moms are chiming into the conversation with their own “17 diapers” struggles; over 2,000 videos have already been posted using “#17diapers.” Not every parent literally had diapers scattered on coffee tables but they had piles of unfolded laundry, ate Lunchables for weeks or kept Christmas decorations up in August. Here are a few examples:

The memory of postpartum overwhelm can linger for years. One seasoned mom, who goes by @ispywithmylittlee14, posted a TikTok video with text that read: “My ‘17 diapers’ was being home alone with a newborn, a toddler and a kindergartener, and crying at night while rocking my newborn. I never felt so alone.”

KC Davis, a licensed counselor and author of “How to Keep House While Drowning,” posted a video titled, “A love letter to ‘17 diaper mom.’”

Showing a still image from one of her own TikToks with dirty diapers piled in a corner, Davis said, “If you’re ‘17 diaper mom’ and you see this, you’re fine. I did this too.” She added, “I wrote a bestselling book and had a TED Talk. And they roasted me for my diapers on the floor too.”

Though she’s received a lot of criticism, Hannah wrote on a video she shared today that the “negative judgmental comments” and “countless shaming videos” are nothing compared to the support and solidarity she feels when other moms come clean about their own “17 diapers” tendencies.

Rosie Colosi lives in New Jersey and is a reporter for TODAY Parents. She has bylines in The Atlantic, The Week, MSNBC, and PureWow, and she has written 33 nonfiction children's books for Scholastic, Klutz, and Nat Geo Kids. Once upon a time, she played Mrs. Claus in "The Rockettes' Radio City Christmas Spectacular," but now she mostly sings songs from "Annie" to her two daughters … while they beg her to play Kidz Bop.