See that gorgeous lady? That’s Adrienne. We met online in a cloth diapering forum of all places, and have been besties ever since. When Adrienne was pregnant with EAT (those are his initials, and it has become a suitable moniker for the little guy), I decided I was going to convert her to mama cloth via cloth postpartum pads.
Adrienne was generous enough to write about her experience using cloth postpartum pads after I subjected her to a grueling interview about the pads she tested; an interview that proved to what extent we are comfortable discussing bodily fluids with each other. A pad-by-pad review will be posted next week!
Here’s what Adrienne had to say about the Postpartum Pad Party in her pants:
I confess: the idea of mama cloth really grossed me out. I’m not a gal who has ever been comfortable with my period. I refuse to discuss bodily functions, and the topic of menstruation, even with my BFFs, has always made me blush. But after birthing three beautiful babies during some of the warmest months of the year, I was ready to try a pad that didn’t leave me feeling sweaty, itchy and dirty. I started cloth diapering with my third child, and had already been an avid user of the Diva Cup for years, so mama cloth wasn’t exactly a foreign concept to me. My BFF Lindsay introduced me to the idea of reusable menstrual products months ago, and from what she had to say about it, I decided it might be a good solution for my postpartum bleeding.
With her help, I purchased and was given for review what amounted to a full stash of PP pads, about 13 in total. I had a good mix of thicker/thinner, longer/shorter, natural fiber/PUL pads that would last me 2-3 days between washes. This was great, since I planned on washing my newborn’s cloth diapers with my pads (he’s EBF). While some people suggest rinsing the used pads before putting them in the wash, I found this to be an unnecessary step (ie: I got lazy).
As icky as I thought the whole process of using and washing the pads would be, it turned out to be no worse than cloth diapering. I tossed the pads in with the diapers, and never touched or even looked at the dirty ones. In terms of leak protection, I found all the pads pretty much comparable, and while I liked the natural fiber ones more, I loved the PUL backed ones for going out and not having to worry about changing them for longer.
If I was recommending postpartum pads to a friend (which I will), I would suggest having a few pads from several brands. I liked that I had choices in terms of size and thickness, and it allowed me to pick a pad that was appropriate for my outfit (no one likes a big padded bum with yoga pants), and activity. I am happy to report that I have made peace with my period. I didn’t expect to love the PP pads as much as I did, and I’m actually looking forward to trying out some regular cloth pads and panty liners when the time comes!
Thank you to everyone who helped Maman Loup convert me to cloth!
xoxo Adrienne
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