New babies have a certain smell. It’s a bit like the smell of a new car or a new carpet. It’s reassuring and makes you happy with your purchase; all-in-all it’s a very satisfying smell.

Note: Babies don’t actually smell of new cars or new carpets they smell of, well, new babies and nor did we purchase our one.

Little P (as apt a nickname as there is at the moment for all the nappy changing action there’s been) has the new baby smell. But I’m not too satisfied with it; in fact, I just don’t like it. I think my brain is still associating the smell of the baby with the smell of the hot delivery room (blood, urine, faeces, that sort of thing) and it’s faintly off putting. Plus his umbilical cord stump is smelling pretty disgusting - as rotting flesh tends to do. And on top of that, there’s the smell of dirty nappies.

When I hold him close to me I still have a wave of affection pass over my body as I know that this my son and I do already care for him very much, but then the smell catches in my nose and I think “God, you’re smelly!”.

I’m not too worried by this though, as I went through the same with Bernard. I couldn’t bear the smell of dog for the first week or two. Then one day at work I caught a wiff of Bernard on my jumper. I got the same wave of affection as I get holding Little P: “I really miss Bernard; I hope he’s alright. I’ll phone Mrs C and check”.

I just need the smell of rotting flesh to go away first though.