Stop! If there is a man right next to you and he’s not prepared to read about WOMAN things, come back to this later. If you want him to be squeamish or question why he is wasting his time reading over your shoulder, proceed. Today’s Tip Tuesday is all about your beautiful, wonderful, God given ability to have a disgusting monthly visitor. Ha! I don’t know about you but I still to this day remember the first time I got mine. Wrapped in a box with a beautiful bow of a north star on the VERY tip of my nose and an excuse me I need to go to the restroom in the middle of junior high, it was the dreaded birthday gift that welcomed me straight into my teen years! My period! Call it the hormones to seal the memory in my brain or a terrifying experience to some. I knew one day it was coming and my Mother was always the Mom that lacked crass! She was verbal about her thoughts and never laid them onto people lightly. Between you and me, she was a tad crazy on hers and always used the term, ‘the rag” (gag). For me, the phrase was like nails on a chalkboard! It is like for some who cringe when you say “moist” or panties.
Not till years later in my natural walk did I realize periods are not supposed to be as awful as they tell you or show you in the commercials. None of them are supposed to be the absolute death defying week or few days of your life. Periods CAN actually be tolerable, still gross but symptomatically better. If you’re one of thousands of women who have not made the switch to the very least cloth pads, let me plant a seed on some of the things I’ve learned.
Did you know when you insert that tampon or place that pad down to chill up against your lotus flower, pesticides, dioxins and fragrances are all just seeping into your body. Some manufacturers even bleach their products! Little did you know that all these things are linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption and even give you that dreaded period rash. HOW AWFUL IS THAT! I will admit, I had the worst period rashes ever, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with products and more so just my body, BOY WAS I WRONG! Your period is NOT supposed to smell bad, but when you mess with your PH balance with these toxic products and or wash your vagina with soap, you’re messing your natural PH up. The vagina is a self cleaning organism that just needs to be rinsed with water.
Although my Mom was not the most eloquent for her word choices, she never failed to remind me that her Mom would whisper about these womanly topics of life, as if there was a shame behind the discussion. These topics were very taboo for the older generation. My Mother vowed to never raise her ONLY beautiful Daughter ;) to feel ashamed or embarrassed about these subjects, they are a part of life. I too am now a Mother of two beautiful Daughters who are young, but know the anatomy of their bodies. I am going litterally a littler further than my Mom to remove the stigma that comes with these topics by keeping age appropriate transparencies. If you’re suffering and hating your life one week out of the month, do some research on the period products you are using. Do better for yourself and your girls so they don’t have to suffer one week out of the month. Women who have made the switch reported having shorter periods over time, no rashes, and even less cramping.
This weeks TIP TUESDAY comes from Kelsey H. I actually learned this recently also. If you primarily bleed towards the front of your pad, you will need a moderate sized pad even if you think you need a light one. If you primarily are someone who bleeds towards the back of your pad, the same rule applies, size up on your pad. No need to size up if your bleeding is primarily distributed on your pad.
We have Bell-A-Bee open in our group with discounts you won’t find anywhere else. I asked the business owner what she wanted you guys to know, and this is what she had to say. “I want them to know that they’re hyper absorbent while being as trim as possible. Those were the two main factors I worked hard at accomplishing during my creation process.” When you purchase from this company you are definitely supporting a small business with a momma who hand makes every single one with love. The light pads she offers are for incontinence and accidental leakage. Her panty liners are designed for discharge and spotting. The moderates are for women who have heavy clot like periods or day 3-5 of your periods. Heavies sizing is for the heavier endometriosis type bleeding, and the thongs/boy shorts serve the same purpose as her moderates sizing.
Read below from some customers who have happily made the switch and are loving their reusable cloth pads.
“I’ve been using Bell-A-Bee for six months and love them. I like knowing it’s not going to irritate my skin and that I’m not putting harsh chemicals down or perfumes down there. They’re very absorbent, and I can generally go four to six hours between changing on my heavy days. They’re soft and comfortable. Because they are reusable, they’re a little bigger than normal pads, but after a little while you forget it’s there.”
-Emmalee S.
"They are cost effective and I love how soft and comfortable they are! So many pretty colors and different absorbency for high and low flow days. Let's not forget the postpartum ones, all of them are super easy to clean and I know I am leaving less trash in our land fills. I rinse until the water is clear. Toss them in a wet bag until wash day, then toss in a lingerie bag and wash them in the washing machine."
-Melissa G.