Surprising things mums wish they knew before having their first boy

Expect the unexpected

You've found out you're pregnant and you've also decided to find out the sex of the baby.

Congratulations, you're having a boy!

Much is written about the differences between boys and girls. Sometimes these apply to your children, sometimes not.

There is, of course, one fundamental difference between boys and girls which you, as a mum, will have to deal with.

Unless you already have a son, or nephews or significant experience looking after boys, there can be some things, which for a woman with no experience of having a penis, may come as a surprise.

Luckily, Kidspot writer Donné Restom has the low-down on what to expect when expecting a boy.

1. Their testicles are huge, at first.

If you're envisaging your dinky little baby son, be warned, apparently not quite everything is so small.

Donné, however, has some words of reassurance.

Mother holding her baby's hand

"It’s nothing unusual. Babies usually come out full of fluid - a result of the hormones they received while in your womb.

"That fluid collects around the eyes and genitals, but it does go away within a couple of days."

2. And they'll get erections.

Like us, Donné was taken aback by this particular revelation.

"I thought erections only came in early puberty, but man oh man was I wrong - he was only a few months old! I was changing his nappy and up it popped, along with a sort of glazed-eye smirk."

Oh jeez.

If you don't have a son already, many of these pointers may take you aback

3. Their penis may vanish.

To illustrate this point, Donné uses a charming analogy.

"Just like a turtle, a little boy’s penis can retract back into the body."

Don't worry though, obviously "it will reappear at some stage."

4. They might experience "ballooning."

This happened to Donné's son - an eventuality which took her by surprise.

'Ballooning' is a thing

One medical study describes ballooning as "an indication that the normal separation of the foreskin from the glans penis has occurred."

"Ballooning is a transient condition that goes away as the prepuce continues its natural growth and development and the opening at the tip further enlarges.

"Ballooning is not injurious, and it is not a cause for concern."

You've been warned.

OK, so deep breath for the next one...

Consider yourself equipped with this knowledge about boys (Photo: Stone Sub)

5. Prepare yourself for smegma

On the plus side, those white or yellow lumps lurking beneath the foreskin are NOT pus.

They are, in fact, smegma which is a completely natural and harmless substance which forms prior to the penis becoming retractable.

If you have sons, does this ring true?

Lastly and unsurprisingly...

Based on her own experience, Donné has some more general pointers to share.

Not only does her son like to bring up his penis at any given time, young boys also like to play with theirs as often as possible.

Quite when this stage finishes is anyone's guess.