Happy Green Beings

[Warning to boys and those squeamish about bodily functions:  I'm about to talk about girl stuff.  You're welcome to read on, but I thought I should give fair warning]

It’s that time of the month.  That time when I DON’T travel to the store to buy tampons or pads that are bleached with dioxin containing substances, and lined with petroleum containing plastics.  Instead, I pull out my stash of flannel cloth pads and my Diva cup, a favorite tea called “My Last Nerve“, and I’m all set.

Why choose cloth pads?  I decided on cloth pads some 14 years ago, when I had just one little toddler in cloth diapers.  I read about cloth pads somewhere, I don’t remember exactly where now.  I thought it made sense if we had babies in cloth diapers, that this would be a consistent choice.  (By the way, we cloth diapered four children.  For four years, we had two in diapers at a time.  This is a story for another post.)  I wasn’t sure I would like the pads or dealing with them, but I ordered a few and got started.  My favorite pads come from Glad Rags.  In the years since I started using them, I’ve spent probably a total of $100 on reusable pads.  That’s a considerable savings over what I would have spent using disposable products.  A second benefit of this choice is how they feel.  You know when you’re feeling a little queasy, crampy, not so up to par, and your episiotomy scar is throbbing a wee bit? A little flannel pad is very comfortable and, well, comforting.  (Who invented the episiotomy, anyway?  I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. . .)

I know many of you are probably saying “eeewwww” right now, so I thought I would address the yuck factor.  I’ve had plenty of people dismiss the entire concept of cloth pads by saying “I just don’t want to deal with it.”  To that I say, what do you think happens to those pads and tampons you put in the garbage?  They don’t just magically disappear.  Someone has to empty that cute little trash container in the public bathroom.  If I consider handling my own waste versus handling someone else’s, the yuck factor increases exponentially.  Additionally, many of these products end up hung up on the infamous “bar screen” at the sewage treatment plant.  If your sophomore biology teacher didn’t take you on a field trip to your municipal sewage treatment plant, you should march your little self there as soon as possible.  Check it out, see where all that stuff goes, and talk to the folks who “deal” with your garbage and everyone else’s that gets flushed down the toilet.

As an interesting little aside here, I’ve toured three sewage treatment plants in my life.  The first one was when I was a high school sophomore biology student and I toured the Milwaukee, Wisconsin plant.  That was a life-changing event for me, as I was horrified to discover that at that time, when there were big rains, not all the sewage exactly got treated before it was dumped into Lake Michigan.  I was an instant environmentalist.  Someone also asked what was the strangest thing that showed up at the bar screen.  We were told that a body had once ended up there.  It obviously wasn’t flushed, but managed to make it’s way into the sewage pipes some other way.  Perhaps this is more information that you bargained for?

Back to the cloth pads.  They come in beautiful colors that help to remind you to celebrate your womanhood.  You can make your own; a pattern can be found at http://sewgreen.blogspot.com/2007/05/cloth-pads.html, or several can be found here: http://www.fuzbaby.com/articles/makeyourown_clothmenstrualpads.htm.

Cleaning is easy.  Most of the purchase and other info sites recommend soaking.  I have done that, and even used the water to fertilize my plants, but it’s really not necessary.  If you do decide to soak, you need to change the water at least once per day.  I just wash with some BioKleen in the water.  Or if I’m out of that, just regular soap with vinegar in the rinse.  The pads actually grow softer with repeated washings.

Cloth pads make great postpartum pads as well.  You can dip your inserts into witch hazel, pop them in the freezer, and have a nice little ice pack for your tender healing bottom.

Four years ago, I discovered the newest edition to my sustainable monthly tools, the Diva Cup.   Unlike the episiotomy, The Diva Cup (or other menstrual cup) is truly a remarkable gift to women.  I found mine at Glad Rags, but we now carry them at The Red Radish.  If you purchase a brand other than the Diva Cup, make sure you get one made of medical grade silicon.  The cups come with a comprehensive set of instructions; if your instructions are missing like mine were, the company is oh, so very nice about emailing them right away.  I found the learning curve to be rather steep with the cup, but well worth the effort.

Lots of people have said to me that they are heavy bleeders and couldn’t use the cup.  It can overflow, so it’s a good plan to keep your cloth pads around and wear one just in case.  I have short, heavy periods and the cup is really amazing.  You may just have to empty it more often (every two hours, rather than four).

There is a bit of an eeewww factor with The Diva Cup as well.  Your fingers can get a bit messy, but that’s what soap and water are for.  I rinse mine after each empty, and wash it with a mild hand soap when I’m done with it.

I admit, public bathrooms are the biggest drawback of the cup.  It’s ok if you find a private one with toilet and sink all behind one locked door.  But the lineup of stalls, with the lineup of sinks is a situation I haven’t really found a solution for yet.   You can empty your cup into the toilet, but if you feel you need to rinse it out before re-inserting, you may just have to endure some stares, or get creative.  I did manage to find a tiny out of the way bathroom in the Capitol building in Washington D.C. when my daughter and I were traveling last summer.

So, why do I do all of this each month?  It is empowering to find a solution to an everyday situation that doesn’t involve constant consumption of resources.  I feel very self-sufficient, cut off from “needing” to purchase paper and plastic each month.  The production of those products poisons the earth, and my body as well.  I’m taking responsibility for my body and at least some of it’s products, and I’m accepting this inevitable part of being a woman instead of denying it.  I enjoy knowing that in this one little way I’m (kinda secretly) making a difference.