Megan
Megan
Megan had been a basically happy, very spoilt eight year old. She had a good baby, sleeping through at night from a young age and being very happy, crying very little. She had been quick to become clean but had still been in nappies at night until she was three and a half - she just hadn't seemed to want to be dry. Her mum and dad spoilt her rotten and lavished attention on her.
She'd noticed that, from time to time, they seemed unhappy and her mum didn't look very well. At those times, she seemed to get even more attention. Had she but known, her parents had been trying for another child, but her mother had repeatedly miscarried, hence the unhappiness and the greater appreciation of the child they had.
Her mother had become pregnant again and, this time, not miscarried. Megan looked forward to having a baby brother (as the ultrasound scan had shown she was going to have) but the changes which took place were not as she'd expected.
After the baby was born, both her mother and father seemed to spend all their time looking after James, their new son, with Megan seemingly forgotten. When they did appear to notice her, she felt that they weren't really bothered about her anymore. There is only so much a child can stand and a few weeks after her mum and James came home from the hospital, one night Megan cried herself to sleep, a sleep which was disturbed by nightmares and her crying in her sleep.
Her mum and dad had got up to see to James and they heard the sounds of distress from her bedroom. They went in to see Megan crying in her sleep. Her dad shook her gently and she settled into a less disturbed, but still not calm sleep. This repeated night after night and they were both worried about her.
One night, after they'd seen to James, they laid in bed talking about Megan. "What on earth can be wrong?" her mum asked, "She seemed so happy to have a baby brother." "I think I know what the problem is," her dad replied, "I think she feels really pushed out. Remember, she used to get our undivided attention and now we seem to be only concerned with James." "Oh, that's not true," her mother replied, "We spend lots of time with her." "Do we? Do we really? When was the last time either of us sat down and talked to her, read to her, or played games with her?" her father answered.
His wife thought for a few moments, then said, "Oh! I think I see what you mean. We've been so pleased to have another child, we do seem to have neglected Megan somewhat." "I think it might be rather a lot, actually," her dad replied. "So what can we do about it?" "Well, it's the summer holidays in a few weeks, so Megan and I will be at home all the time (her dad was a schoolteacher), so we can try to make some time for Megan. I have an idea!" He explained his thoughts to his wife and they both agreed that it was worth a try.
During those weeks, some extra shopping was done for Megan and some things went into the washing machine and tumble drier when Megan was at school. Her parents had been taking a greater interest in her again, but Megan felt as if they had just noticed her again and were just doing that because they felt they had to. The workings of a child's mind can be very strange.
James had, like Megan, suddenly started sleeping through the night at the start of the holiday. On the Friday night, her dad had cuddled her before she went to bed while her mum went upstairs to get her bed ready for her. Megan was surprised as she'd not had a pre-bed cuddle from either of them since James had been born. Her mum came downstairs, smiled at her husband and then at Megan and said, "My turn!" her husband handed her over to his wife who cradled Megan in her arms, kissed her forehead and murmured, "Megan, we really do love you," as she rocked her gently in her arms.
Megan wondered what was going on, with the suspicion which adults think that children don't have in their supposed 'innocence'. Her dad went into the kitchen and seemed to
be doing something. He came in holding a large baby bottle with a rubber teat. James used the more modern silicone teats and his bottles were smaller. The bottle seemed to be filled with milk. her dad sat down at Megan's head and, to her surprise, the teat was put into her mouth.
She started sucking the warm milk without thinking in her surprise. The taste of the rubber teat and the warm milk seemed very reassuring to her and her mum could feel her relax into her arms. Her mother leaned over and kissed her again. "Megan, we really do love you and we know it seems to you that we've forgotten you now that James is here, but we
really do love you just as much as we always have done. We're going to spoil you a bit to try and make up for the past few weeks. All right, love?" Megan smiled as she sucked on the milk and nodded.
After the milk had been drunk, the bottle was replaced by a pacifier which her father tied to her wrist to stop her from loosing it. Megan was enjoying the attention and sucking on the pacifier was familiarly comforting. As she was rocked in her mother's arms, she became sleepy and her mother whispered, "Time for bed, pet." She lifted her up and carried her upstairs and started to undress her for bed. Megan had been doing all this for herself, being the 'big, helpful girl' her parents had wanted her to be while they looked after James.
Her mother laid her down on her bed undressed and took a folded nappy off her bedside cabinet and lifted Megan's legs and slid it under her bottom. Megan started to protest, "But I don't wear nappies any more, mum." Her mum shushed her, "After all that milk, I think it might be a good idea, don't you? Anyway, I think you quite like wearing nappies at night as you didn't want to stop wearing them, don't you?" Megan looked shyly at her mum, "I think you're right, mum," as her mum firstly applied a good dreaming to her nappy area, then pinned the nappies around her hips and then pulled up a pair of really nice circus print pink plastic pants.
Her mum saw her admiring them, "Yes, Megan we bought them specially! Do you like them?" Megan sat up a bit and kissed her mum, "Thank you, they're lovely!" Next her mum pulled a one piece sleep suit on her, in pink with a large sleepy bunny sewn on the front. They had poppers at the legs just like James', ready for nappy changes. "How's that, poppet? All snug and comfy?" "Thanks, mum!" came Megan's very sleepy reply. Her dad came in as Megan's mum pulled the covers over her and they both kissed her 'goodnight'.
Finally, just before Megan went to sleep, she saw her mum pulling up side guards on her bed to stop her from falling out. She'd not had those up for some time now. Her mum finally put the pacifier between her lips and went to switch off the light, leaving a night light glowing, again something she'd not had for some time.
Later they both looked in at her, fast asleep and sucking her pacifier. "Doesn't she look sweet? her dad said. "Yes, she does. I wonder whether she'll have wet her nappy by the morning?" her mum said. Her dad laughed, "She'll certainly do that with all that milk she drank. I also suspect she'll have a messy nappy as well. I put some milk of magnesia in her milk!" Mum laughed, "That was cruel! You know she didn't like
being in a dirty nappy" "If we're treating her like James for a week, she'll have to mess her nappies too!" her dad replied.
During the night, Megan woke with the pressure in her bladder and a strange feeling in her tummy. She sat up to get out of bed to go to the toilet when she remembered that she was wearing nappies and plastic pants. She put her hand down between her legs and cupped the nappy and plastic pants against her crotch. She could see the side guards in place
either side of her bed and remembered that she wasn't to get out of bed.
Fair enough, then, she'd just have to wet her nappy! This was fun! She tried to relax to let it out, but her potty training exerted itself and she found that it wasn't as easy as she'd thought it might be. She strained a bit to start the flow when suddenly her bowels exploded into the nappy. This wasn't so nice, but, as that happened, she found her bladder emptying too. She couldn't understand why she'd filled her nappy as well. She laid down and was soon asleep again. The pacifier
had fallen form her mouth to be replaced by her thumb holding an end of the sheet which was touching her upper lip. Her parents came in to check on her and looked with love at their little girl, now transformed into a baby.
Megan was woken by her mum and dad. her dad was holding James and her mum picked her out of bed, placed her on her hip, squashing the filled nappy from the night before up around her buttocks and tummy and they went downstairs together. Megan was surprised to see her old high chair out was she thought James was still too small for that. She was even more surprised when she was sat in it and strapped in.
Her mother took James, sat down and proceeded to breast feed him while her father put a bib round her neck and proceeded to spoon feed her breakfast, pausing every now and then to wipe the excess off her chin. Megan was so thrilled to be getting attention again. When her mum had finished feeding
James, he was passed to her father whilst her mum came to lift Megan out of the high chair.
Megan was surprised that her mum hadn't covered herself back up again and her surprise turned to delight when her mum laid her on her lap as she sat down and then started to feed her from her breasts, with the warning, "Mind you don't bite, now!" Megan's mum said to her that there wouldn't be much left, but she could suck as long as she wanted. When Megan stopped nursing from both sides, she was given a large bottle of warm milk to drink and she sucked from the rubber teat until that was empty. She was put against her mum's shoulder and
burped. To her surprise, she did manage to burp off some wind.
After that both James and Megan were carried up to the bathroom where they were both bathed. James was bathe din his baby bath by dad whilst mum bathed Megan after having first removed her very messy nappy. Megan had been bathing herself for some time and she enjoyed her mum's care and
attention. When she was being dried, she put her arms round her mum's neck, kissed her and said, "Thank you, mummy, it's nice to be looked after by you and dad!" her mum kissed her back and told her that they were sorry that they'd appeared to be neglecting her.
James and Megan were both placed in clean dry nappies after being thoroughly creamed: James in a disposable and Megan in a thick layer of terry toweling nappies which spread her legs apart so she waddled. This time she had a clean pair of plastic pants in yellow nursery print which she liked too with the teddy bears and other animals on them. James was put down to rest as bathing him always made him tired at his tender age.
Her dad carried her downstairs and sat on the settee with her in his arms rocking her gently. Her mum gave her her old blanket which she'd found in the drawer. Megan clutched it in her hand with just the tip of the blanket showing. She put her thumb in her mouth and rubbed her top lip with the tip of the blanket as she used to do. She gave her dad a big beaming smile as she did this and, to her surprise, discovered that she'd fallen asleep - something she never did in the mornings.
So the days passed with Megan being treated very much like James. She loved being in nappies again and didn't even mind dirtying them. She often waited until just after she'd been changed to wet them again as she liked the feel of the warm wet nappy between her legs with the plastic pants rubbing against her thighs. She loved all the attention and sucking at her mum's breasts when James had had his fill. She had been
missing her parents' physical contact and reassurance.
At the end of the week, Megan shyly asked her parents whether she could go back to being a girl rather than a baby. Her mum looked at her, "Is that really what you want, Megan? We realized that we had been spending too much time with James and we're sorry. It's been fun having two babies in the house with James and you, so we're happy to continue as
long as you want during the holidays." "No, I'm really a girl, not a baby, so I'll like to be treated like my age, but please don't stop loving me!"
Her mum cuddled her to her as Megan burst into tears. Her mum held her close to her and rocked her gently, making soothing noises until Megan had calmed down. "We're so sorry, pet, that we appeared to be neglecting you. We're learnt our lesson and we won't let it happen again. Now then. Would you like to stay in nappies at night? If you do, there are conditions.
We'll put you to bed at night and you stay there until we get you up in the morning. If you need to go to the
toilet, you are wearing your nappies after all, so you'll have to wet them. We don't want you walking about at night with bulky nappies between your legs in case you stumble and fall over. So what's it to be?"
Megan snuggled closer to her mum and whispered, "Can I stay in nappies at night? They make me feel safe and snug in bed when I'm wearing them." her mum laughed, a nice laugh, "I thought you'd say that! It means I'll put you in them before you go to bed and you'll know we're still caring for you, is that it?" "Sort of, mummy. You don't mind?" Goodness, no! We made you very unhappy and we're sorry for that. It's all right with us. You won't be making a lot of washing after all!" "Megan snuggled down into her mum, put her thumb in her mouth and whispered around it, "Thank you, mummy!"
That night, Megan was again creamed by her mum, wrapped firmly in a thick pile of clean dry nappies, still warm from the airing cupboard, and then another pretty pair of the nursery print plastic pants. Megan asked to wear her nightdress again and then, safely tucked up in bed, with the sides up to remind her to stay in bed overnight, her parents
kissed her goodnight and turned the light out, leaving her in darkness as she'd requested. After all, despite the nappies, she rally was a big girl and didn't mind sleeping in the dark after all!
In bed that night, mum and dad were discussing her. Her mum said, "It looks like everything is all right now. I can understand her staying in the nappies at night. It means I have to look after her, but I bet she baths herself tomorrow!" Her mum was right as Megan switched back to being a girl instead of a baby again.
However, the next night, just before bed, her mum had asked her to suck some of her breast milk off for her as she'd been making more and James wasn't taking it all. Her mum's breasts were so full that they were swollen and it took a lot of
sucking to make her mum comfortable. Her mum enjoyed the closeness of her daughter every bit as much as Megan did. However, with a tummy full of milk, it was hardly surprising that Megan woke in the middle of the night needing the toilet.
She sat up and the bulk of the nappies between her legs reminded her that she wasn't to get out of bed, so she laid back, wet her nappies, sighed contentedly, put her thumb in her mouth and was asleep in moments.
All was well for a year or so. In fact Megan had abandoned the nappies at night as she felt too grown up for them. She felt that her parents shared their love fairly between James and herself, and was devoted to her younger brother. She had been told not to climb the tree in the garden several times, but, as James had got his ball stuck in the tree, it was inevitable that Megan, as big, brave sister, would climb the tree to get it for him. Parents warn children for a reason and the tree was old.
Megan crawled out along the branch to where the ball was
stuck in the fork of the branches. Just then, the branch broke with a snap, pitching Megan hard into the ground where she laid there stunned by her fall. James ran off, sensibly, to get mummy, screaming at the top of his voice as his beloved sister was hurt. Mum came running when she heard James screaming at the top of his voice.
He grabbed her by the hand and toddled out, leading her into the garden to where Megan was lying. After checking the Megan was breathing, her mother put her in the recovery position and then rushed in to phone for an ambulance.
Megan was taken to hospital to the A&E department, then quickly transferred to theatre for her broken leg and arm to be set and put in plaster. When Megan was back on the ward, the nurse in charge of her care spoke to her mother, "Once we're happy that she hasn't got conscious, we're happy for her to go home if you can look after her there. At the moment she's got a urinary catheter in to deal with that, but we'd want that out before she leaves hospital.
Toileting is going to be the problem. Normally, in a younger child, we'd suggest nappies, but, as Megan is now ten, I'm not sure how she'd react to that?" "I think that would be fine with Megan. She's a sensible young lady these days and would rather be in nappies at home than stuck here in hospital, I'm sure.
Would you like me to discuss that with her?" "Yes please. What would you prefer? We can supply disposable nappies in her size for her or would you prefer terry nappies?" "I think terry nappies would be more comfortable for her, don't you?" The nurse agreed, adding, "We'll supply you with drop front plastic pants to go over the nappies and a supply of nappies which unfortunately, won't be enough, but you can always buy
more yourself. She'll need to stay on her back, so the drop front pants won't leak.
I suggest you wrap cling film around the top of her leg cast when you change her as that will stop the cast from becoming
soiled. It'll be so much easier than trying to help her on and off a bedpan. The nappies are probably less embarrassing than you having to help her on and off a bedpan! She'll be on strong pain killers when she comes home for a while which may make her constipated. I'll get the doctor to write up some laxatives for you to give her if she does become constipated and some suppositories micro-enemas if things get really bad. They're very easy to use."
At this moment, Megan came round and saw her mum standing there. She burst into tears. "I'm sorry, mum. I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have climbed that tree but James was so upset when his ball got stuck ...." Her mum leaned forward and kissed her, "That's all forgiven, love. I understand why you were silly, but I'm sure you've learned your lesson now! Just concentrate on getting better!" Her mum bent over and kissed her on her forehead.
Later, when Megan had recovered from the effects of the blow to the head and the anaesthetic, her mum sat beside her and quietly explained the nurse's suggestion for going home. Megan had to stop herself from smiling with pleasure at the thought! Later the nurse came by and spoke to mum and Megan, "Have you discussed what we spoke about with Megan?"
Her mother agreed that they had discussed this. The nurse pulled the curtains around Megan's bed to give her some semblance of privacy and then kept her voice deliberately quiet as she spoke directly to Megan, "Your mum says that she's discussed your going home and wearing nappies and plastic pants because using the toilet is going to be a real problem until your leg cast comes off and you won't be able to manage for yourself either while your arm is in plaster. Is it the hand you usually write with?"
Megan agreed that it was. "Are you all right about being in nappies and your mum changing you? It'll mean that you will probably only need changing four times or so a day, whereas you'd need to be sat on a bedpan more than that with your mum having to wipe you each time." Megan replied, "Mum is OK with that and I can see the sense. If it means I can go home sooner, then that's definitely all right with me!" "That's great, Megan. If you're all right with being in nappies, I can remove your catheter now and put you in nappies and then you can go
home tomorrow morning if you're still doing well." "Yes, please!" came Megan's immediate reply.
The nurse left to get the necessary equipment, leaving the curtains drawn and after asking her mum to give Megan a couple of beakers to drink to help her to pass urine as soon as possible after the catheter came out. Megan's mum held he beaker with its spout as Megan drank down the iced water. She refilled it as Megan once again emptied the beaker. "Gosh!" her mum said, "Your were thirsty!" "Could I have another?" Megan asked, so her mum obliged her.
She was just finishing the beaker when the nurse came back with a trolley covered with a towel to hide the nappies and stuff. "That's good! Was that your second beaker?" the nurse asked. "No!" her mother laughed, "she was thirsty! That was her third." The nurse spoke to Megan, "Would you like your mum to leave while I take the catheter out and put you in your nappy?" "If mum doesn't mind, she can stay as she'll be putting me in the nappies and changing them when I get home anyway," came Megan's response. "I don't mind, " said mum. "That's fine," the nurse said. "I'll cream you first of all to stop you getting nappy rash, then I'll get you on your plastic pants, put the nappy under you, then take out your catheter so any leakage will go onto the nappy. All right?" Megan nodded.
The nurse put a pair of rubber gloves on and started to cream Megan thoroughly, rubbing the cream well in, and taking care to get it worked into the folds in her skin. Once she was satisfied, she changed her gloves and helped Megan to sit on the plastic drop front pants. To Megan's delight, these were nursery print in a pretty pink color. "We only have nursery print ones. Some children in your situation would prefer plain white or colored. Are they all right?" "They're pretty!" came Megan's assessment, causing the nurse to smile at her. "You're a good, sensible girl, Megan, provided you stay away from trees!" was the nurse's response.
Next the thick folded nappies were worked under her bottom ready for the nurse to pull them up and pin them in place and then to pull the plastic pants around the nappy with none over the back edge behind her to cause leaks: the nurse knew her business! The nurse changed her gloves yet again then picked up a syringe. Connecting that to the port on
Megan's catheter, she sucked out the water from the catheter balloon, then, telling Megan to take a deep breath in, she pulled the catheter out, spilling a little urine from inside it on the nappy as she bundled it up and placed it in a clinical waste disposal bag.
Next she pulled the nappies firmly around Megan's hips and bottom as well as snugly up between her legs. With skill from long practice, the nurse pinned the nappy in place, then pulled up the front of the plastic pants and popped them closed. All the time she was giving her mum a running commentary, advising her on the best way to put Megan into nappies.
That evening, when mum was visiting again and after dad had been and gone, a different nurse explained how to use a suppository and a micro-enema. She invited her mum to insert a Dulcolax suppository into Megan's bottom using disposable gloves and KY Jelly lubricant. First she told her mum to liberally coat her index finger with the jelly and gradually work her finger into Megan's bottom. She then explained how to insert the suppository up inside Megan as far as possible which he mum did under the nurse's watchful eye. "As she hasn't been today, it won't hurt to insert a micro enema as well, but, at home, you'd do one or the other, not both."
Her mum removed the cap off the tip of the enema and squeezed gently until the liquid just glistened at the tip. Still keeping the pressure on the sachet, she inserted the tip into Megan's bottom and squeezed until a sudden noise like passing wind showed that the sachet of the enema was empty. "Now Megan, I want you to hold that inside you as long as possible. The longer, the better the result and I want a really full nappy to change before bedtime!" "Yes, nurse," said Megan meekly, "I'll do my best." The nurse smiled, "I know you will. You're a good girl. You haven't been complaining."
After Megan's mum had gone, Megan, who had been fighting hard not to fill her nappy while her mum was with her, did just that as the combined effect of the osmotic enema and the stimulant laxative in the suppository caused her to
empty her bowels in a more thorough manner. She sat up and could see her nappy and plastic pants bulging between her legs from all the stool she'd passed.
She'd got a monkey pole on her bed and, wickedly, pulled herself into a sitting position, raising her bottom off the bed, then letting her weigh fall back onto it again. There was a satisfying warm squishy feeling as the stool spread up her back from her bottom and up her front as well.
Later two nurses came to clean her up, congratulating her on holding it so well to get such a good result. Then, in thick night time nappies, she was given a couple of beakers full of warm milk to drink, and a strong painkiller, then allowed to settle down to sleep.
In the morning, she was given a bed bath and changed into a jogging suit her mum had brought in the evening before. She was to go home by ambulance which collected her, a letter, a large plastic bag labeled 'Hospital Patient Property' and a smaller bag with her medicine in. When she got home and was safely in bed, which already had a plastic sheet on the mattress anyway, her mum brought the bag in and showed her the contents.
Inside were a pile of terry toweling nappies, nappy liners and drop front plastic pants. her mum said, "Good job we've got some nappies to fit you! There wouldn't be enough here. The hospital say they want the nappies back when you're on your feet again, but we can keep the plastic pants! I've got rubber gloves, KY Jelly, suppositories and enemas to give you as well as lactulose to try to keep you regular because your medication will make you constipated. I'll go and get you a drink, shall I?"
To Megan's delight, she came back with a large plastic bottle fitted with a rubber teat. Her mum sat Megan up, sat behind her, after tying a plastic backed large bin round her neck first and cuddled her as she fed her the bottle. When she'd finished the milk, she smiled at her mum and said, "Thanks, mum, but I do believe you're enjoying this too!" Her mum smiled back, "Now James is getting bigger, it's fun to have a baby to look after again! Don't forget, I'll need to spoon-feed you as well!"
Megan's leg took longer to heal than first expected so she spent two months in bed in her nappies and plastic pants. When the casts came off, she was still a bit wobbly, so mum put her in her own pull up plastic pants and nappies until she was happy that Megan could get around to the toilet without falling over. Both Megan and her mum ere sorry when Megan was well enough to go back to school and just wore her nappies and plastic pants at night for comfort.
Megan still wears her plastic pants to bed at night, even though she's now at university. She sometimes wets them too, just for the fun of it. I expect she always will!
Written By: Anonymous