WARNING:  POST CONTAINS MAMA TALK AND GIRLIE TMI

You’re grouchy and weepy. Your back is aching.  Your stomach is swollen and you’re exhausted.  You don’t have to check an app or a calendar to know what time of the month it is.   Dashing through the store, you toss the familiar plastic package or cardboard box into your cart.  You hate their embarrassing crinkle and ignore the health warnings on the side of the box. What choice do you have?  Aunt Flo is on the way and you need to stock up.

Worse, you’ve been too busy to notice your usual monthly aches and pains.  You chuck up your insomnia to an extra cup of coffee and your sugar intake to a hectic schedule.  It’s two am and you’ve trekked across the Lego peppered hallway to the bathroom.  You sit in the dark and scan down your old friends calling card.  You dig through the cupboard and find a solitary orange wrapper.  Uh-oh!  That’s not going to last you through the night let alone through tomorrow.  Looks like you’re tossing on a bra and shoes to head to the 24-hour market. YUCK!

This used to be me.  From month to month stocking up on non-biodegradable,  usually inorganic, horribly uncomfortable female necessities. But not anymore.

A year ago, during a search for healthy alternatives for my preteen, I rediscovered cloth pads or RUMPS.  (reusable menstrual products)  Instead of waiting for my girl to grow into her womanly blessing, I decided to try them out on myself first.  I’d already been introduced to menstrual cups.  But I find inserts to be horribly invasive and uncomfortable.  I couldn’t imagine handing one over to a freshly menstrual teen and saying “Have at it!”

I scoured the web and found tons of helpful sites. First, I ordered some cloth pads from Amazon.  Then I discovered some great sellers on Etsy.  (MUCH BETTER though a bit pricey)  Finally, I found a youtube lady that taught me how to make my own and how to clean them, properly. (* a lot of video ladies show the gore in their cleaning videos, my lady, listed below… did not*)

I felt liberated. On Etsy,  I purchased one “professional” cloth pad and got to work sewing my own, from things I already owned.  I stocked up approximately 10 before they were put to the test.

So, what happened?  How did my year-long experiment fair?

I’m thrilled!

Typical pads made me itch and sometimes caused blisters on my legs.  In fact, there was only one brand of pad I could tolerate throughout an entire cycle.  I also didn’t like the idea of tossing them in the trash to pile up somewhere out of sight. Landfills are gross enough without millions of non- biodegradable feminine hygiene products tossed there each year.

With cloth, I get to choose the fabric.  The make and the print.  That means my body organic fabric with cute patterns.  Making things much more cheery than the bleach white paper/plastic ones with the blue absorbent line filled with mystery chemicals.

I thought they’d be a disgusting mess.  Like crime scene disgusting.  But NO! They’re easy to clean and I get to choose the detergent that’s best for my skin.  It also means I always have clean, fresh pads on hand whenever I need them.  Day or night!  I store mine in my underwear drawer.

They’re also easy to use.  Don’t imagine garters and clips.  They can be sewn into any shape and in any absorbency level.  Most sellers make them with organic cotton or bamboo.  There’s quilter’s cotton, flannel, velvet, and even jersey. Most of them attach using hardy plastic snap, like cloth diapers, but in the same patterns and shapes as conventional pads.

In this girls opinion, I’m never going back to the average store brands! These didn’t lessen my cramps or my cycle like some women report, but they are comfortable, reusable, easy to disinfect, easy to carry around, and gentle enough to use for my little girl. When the time comes.

Try them out.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Here’s my youtube lady:

And Here’s the Esty Shops I like:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/yurtcraft?ref=l2-shopheader-name&section_id=7401045

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LunaLandingsPads?ref=ss_profile

Some of my pad making materials and where to find them:

(PS Darker fabrics hide stains and help diffuse anxiety in sensitive teens)