Tuesday, August 12, 2008

This one is for you (ladies)

Ladies only...of course, you fellas can stick around if you see fit. I wasn't raised to be the prim 'n proper southern belle that only spoke of such things in hushed tones, face flushing with embarrassment. In fact, there was very little we didn't talk about growing up. Could have been that Mom was a young mom or that there was 6 and 8 yrs between me and my older siblings or just that I have no shame...take your pick. At any rate, gentlemen...you have been warned.

So ladies, I gotta ask. What are your preps for good ol' Aunt Flo (aka the period, menstruation, menses, that time of the month)? Got a nice little stockpile of disposable stuff? What if you run out?

Planning on using traditional backups like animal pelts, mosses, rags and vegetable fibres? While effective, to a degree (hey, they worked for a good LONG time), I don't see many jumping back on this bandwagon.

Well, what are you going to do? I hear you asking. I do it already, so it's no big change. I use Sea Pearls. They last a very long time, are comfy and when compared to disposable products cost a heck of a lot less.

You can of course use cloth padsthat you've purchased, cloth pads that you've made (or this link, which I like a lot for more than the pad reason...ie check out the rest of the baby crafts), a Keeper, a Diva or get ambitious and make your own tampons. I realize that this is probably something that you may not have thought of, or maybe you have but didn't know your options or you just prefer not to think about it at all. Sorry, but you have to. Prep for everything, I tell ya!

You should research all your options, of course, and think long and hard about what you would like to try (warning: while some love one thing, others will hate it...just like everything else in the world). As I said earlier, I'm a Sea Pearls kinda gal. I have 4 sets, 3 of which are socked away in personal preps. I have a few cloth pads too, but I just can't get my mind over the whole "it feels like a diaper" thing that I've always had so they are socked away with the extra pearls.

Now I'm not trying to preach you out of your comfort zone (yeah, I am and you know it) but periods are a fact of life. They happen unless you are breastfeeding (sometimes even then), pregnant (again, been known to happen), malnourished or have been through the change. It really is an issue that you must be prepared to deal with in a SHTF (either minor or major) situtation.

Just a little food for thought! Sorry guys, back to the regularly scheduled programming now.

9 comments:

WrethaOffGrid said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
WrethaOffGrid said...

This is such a great thing that NO ONE talks about, until now! Thanks so much for bringing up this so very important subject, I know that I only think about this once a month, and I am very happy to forget about it once it's over, however, I have though about getting a Diva cup, how do you like using the sea pearls? Do you bleed heavy or light? I tend to go heavy and would worry about that product working well for me.

Sorry about the deleted post, I just wanted to check the box to have the follow up emailed to me.

Wretha

Jess (Ozark Momma) said...

No prob on the delete Wretha, I understand that!

I love the pearls, I go from HEAVY to light. The original pack comes with two sizes (small and medium) which I do alright with. I'm actually looking into getting a set or two of the Prolapse for the heavier days. The medium ones are fine but I would feel more comfortable with more protection.

They also have a set of pearls and pads that if I was pad friendly I would get. The main site (the one linked here vs the amazon from the post) has a pretty good all around coverage of stuff. Many of my online friends have tried the Divas and Keepers. Some love them, some not so much. I've not tried one as I'm quite happy with the pearls.

I should also add, I've been using the same set of pearls for over a year and they are still in fanastic shape. It's all in the care, just like everything else, lol.

I hope that this helps some, feel free to pick my brain some more...tonight is an all nighter!

WrethaOffGrid said...

Ok, here I am, picking your brain... does it tickle???

About the sea pearls, how many sets do you have (and use)?

How often do you change them during light & heavy days?

How do they work for overnight?

Do you have to moisten them or do anything else to them before you insert them?

Do they have a string or anything like that?

How do you clean them?

Do you sanitize them in any way?

What do you store the soiled one in when you are away from home?

What do you store the fresh ones (ready to be used) when you are away from home?

Thanks for the links, I would probably be interested in the ones with the pad (just in case), especially for my heavy days.

Would you consider purchasing a sea sponge from another source, such as a hobby store instead of ordering the "sea pearls"?

Wretha

Jess (Ozark Momma) said...

Ok, here I am, picking your brain... does it tickle??? Yep!!

About the sea pearls, how many sets do you have (and use)? I have four sets total, one set in use right now (well, not literally) but will be adding one of the storage sets to the rotation because the current set is older than the recommended usage.

How often do you change them during light & heavy days? Heavy days, every hour to couple of hours, just like I did when using ob's/kotex/whatever. Light days I can go for considerably longer between.

How do they work for overnight? The bigger of the two works pretty well. I do recommend a little extra protection (pad or something) for really heavy times though. That is the main reason I'm debating on the Prolapse size.

Do you have to moisten them or do anything else to them before you insert them? Oh yes...you definitely want to moisten them just a little, but only if they are incredibly dry. You will know when a little water is needed for sure.

Do they have a string or anything like that? No strings, but many ladies have strung floss or thread through them to provide a string. It's not really necessary though as the sponge will "move down" when it's needing to be changed making it easy to grasp.

How do you clean them? Water and tea tree oil or lavender essential oil.

Do you sanitize them in any way? The tea tree and lavender oil are natural antibacterials. PLUS tea tree oil, just a drop or two worked into the sponge, will kill a yeast infection.

What do you store the soiled one in when you are away from home? They come with a handy little cotton bag just for this.

What do you store the fresh ones (ready to be used) when you are away from home? In the bag, the soiled goes in afterward. I have gotten into the habit of carrying an extra bag though as things can get complicated with the transfer.

Thanks for the links, I would probably be interested in the ones with the pad (just in case), especially for my heavy days.

Would you consider purchasing a sea sponge from another source, such as a hobby store instead of ordering the "sea pearls"?
I hadn't really thought of it. I imagine that they would work the same. I've not compared density or anything, but now I might have to.

WrethaOffGrid said...

Thanks so much for your info, while looking at the links, I saw one for homemade tampons, the outside looked like it was crocheted or knitted... I'll keep researching, it is an expense every month, and the problem always occurs, what to do with the used disposable tampons, flushing is bad, the only other option is tossing them in the trash, I would prefer a reusable product to save money, plumbing and landfills...

Thanks,
Wretha

Jess (Ozark Momma) said...

That would be the ones on Fern and Faerie...very reputable WAHM who designs the patterns herself and is fun to boot. I've not tried them myself, but I do know she does her research and testing extensively before putting patterns out for sale.

Anytime Wretha!

WrethaOffGrid said...

Yes, that's the one, looks very promising..

Wretha

Unknown said...

I showed this link to my wife a few minutes ago, and was immediately reminded of her video game addiction when she came right back with 'no, I want THIS! http://kotaku.com/5363353/pokemon-menstrual-pad-yours-for-eight-bucks'

The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts. --Edmund Burke