Yep, I am talking about.....REUSABLE MENSTRUAL PADS!
When I was a newbie on the Etsy scene, the girls over at DIYScene started talking about "those reusable pad things" some of the Etsy shops had. EW! Crunchy granola crap, right? Who in the HELL bleeds like a stuck pig, then washes it out, and RE-USES the pad?!?!? How gross.
Well, the more I recently have started thinking about it, the more intrigued I am about it. I mean, really if you think about it, it is about the same as my decision to cloth diaper. You save money, because you no longer have to purchase junk that REALLY does not work so well, then you throw it in the garbage, only to have to buy MORE when you run out. And where does it go? Into the landfill. Well, that is just nasty, I don't want my uterine lining sitting on a plastic clump of ick for the next 200 years. How NASTY is that?!?!? Really, I can think of NO OTHER way to spread disease and disgusting-ness in this world, but that. "Hey mommy, look over there, that bird caught a fish!" "No, sweetie, it is most likely a blood-soaked pad that someone threw away about 40 years ago!"
There are LOTS of really cool options out there to remedy this problem. My girlfriend Cindy SWEARS by the Diva Cup. I really don't know if I want to stick a trough into god knows where, though, while bleeding like niagra falls. No thank you. And I really don't LOVE the idea of using tampons. For about the same reason.
SO that leaves me with pads. I found a shop on Etsy that is peaking my interest. They are called Naturally Hip, and they seem to have a lot of sales, and satisfied customers. Also, Randumosity seems to be right there with the sales and feedback. Really, (and I think this is SO crazy) my biggest thing, is the pattern. I mean REALLY who WORRIES about what their menstrual pad looks like?!?!?! Well, my thinking is that if I am already crabby about the situation at hand, the least I could do is have a pretty little winged piece of cloth to look at. Right?
Then, upon further inspection, I found out that one of my hearted shops ALSO carries pads, Vulva Love Lovely. I heart them SO much, because not only do they make vagina jewelry, BUT they also make fun uterus stuffies, and tons of other really fun stuff featuring our favorite lady parts! (I now know that if my husband is reading this, he is shaking his head...)
So....now I am aprehensive. I have YET to purchase ONE cloth menstrual pad. I do not want this to turn into one of Greg's "I told you so, Brooke, you CAN NOT be THAT granola!" while I am leaking blood in the middle of the grocery store. Which is my worst nightmare, and I am sure will happen now that I have written this blog for all of you.
**wrings hands**
Maybe next month! What do you say? Sound good? Then, I can write a review!
Oy. Stick with the cup hahah.
ReplyDeleteI just can't do that. I just can't. More power to you if you can, but I just can't. *shivers*
I'm tempted to try these pads too but I fear the same thing...leakage!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Diva Cup lady myself. Definitely not for the squeamish, though. :D
ReplyDeleteBravo, I need to try these as well. And maybe I'll try the cup. What a topical post for me, lol.
ReplyDeleteIn my feminist art class, we watched a video where this guy made a coat out of trash that had washed up on the beach. It was this enormous, Cruella-de-Vil style coat, like huge and voluminous.
Made. Entirely. Of. TAMPON APPLICATORS!
This dude artist had collected thousands from the shore. He wore it in public. It made a really awesome sound. I'll see if I can find a link here. I think this is it http://www.harvestworks.org/creativec/Critchley/liberty/index.html
Anway. Have a happy period. I mean day.
Well, I stick to my tampons, so more power to you if you decide to go and try them!
ReplyDeleteYa know -ive turned into a super Hippie lately... adn zaq makes fun of me... the cloth diapers... the eco diaper... the recycled packaging... the doing EVERYTHING in the dark to save money, lol blah blah blah were trying to be much better around here... but thats just one thing I cant handle... The smell you will have radiating from wherever you stash them will be 1,000,000 times worse than a poopy diaper. *bleck* BUT good luck, and let me know how it goes :)
ReplyDeleteDuring the very few months in the last 3 years where I have actually HAD a period (2 kids+ nursing= no periods YEA) I have tried a few different cloth pads. Now, let me preface that by saying I am NOT a heavy bleeder.
ReplyDeleteI used "instead cups" and the cloth as a back up and for those annoying spotting days. The great thing about the instead cups is that you can actually empty them w/o removing them while going potty (yea, I have a 3 y/o). Just do a little keegle squeeze and poof, cup empty. Somehow it doesn't happen when not on the toilet though (good thing, huh?)
I did purchase a diva cup, but as fate would have it, I never got to use it as I ended up prego with D that month. Maybe hen I get my period back I will try again (or maybe not as it will just be tempting fate to make me prego again...)