Lunapads

I discovered cloth pads back in 1992, while in my early twenties. I thought it was a great idea and environmentally friendly and I actually found some for sale in a local health food store. They were an early version of a different cloth pad company, and had an uncomfortable nylon bottom, velcro which scratched, and were the kind you stuffed a rolled up cloth into.

Unlike Lunapads, you couldn’t simply change the liner. You had to change the whole pad. Quite frankly, I used them for only two cycles before ditching them completely. Disappointed both in the product and myself, I reluctantly went back to disposables.

Fast forward ten years. After having tried nearly every brand of disposable pads and tampons, I decided right after having my daughter in 2002 that I would go back to trying a washable pad. My postpartum flow had gone on and on, and I was very uncomfortable using disposables after my natural birth. I did a quick search online and found Lunapads. I immediately ordered a bunch of different sizes and colours and I’ve never looked back. They were so soft, so absorbent and so easy. What a difference! My poor perineum healed so much better after I made the switch. And the liners made the difference. It was fantastic to find a pad that you could just change the top layer, if you wanted to.

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I had to give a persuasive speech for my speech communication class, and I decided that I was going to single-handedly convince seven women and two men to switch to alternative menstrual products!

I e-mailed Lunapads asking if there were any cloth pad samples or literature that they could send me. To my delight, Sandra promptly e-mailed me back and agreed.

I received two cloth pads, two liners, pamphlets, and even coupons. The customer service was excellent. Sandra even said that once I was done showing them around, I was free to keep the sample pads and use them for myself! While I’m tempted (they’re absolutely adorable), I think I’m going to keep them as “for-show” only, so I can introduce more women to the wonders of cloth pads.

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Sometimes it’s hard for me to explain what exactly I study at school.

My family members, proud of me but unsure of what it is that I do at this fancy college, are constantly asking for details. “What are you taking up at school?” my aunt Eleanor asks. “Um, Sociology…” I reply, nervously, “…and Biology, and Women’s Studies, I guess.”

That’s quite a range, but it’s actually pretty simple – I study periods. No, not grammatical periods or time periods. I study capital P, bleeding-out-of-your-vagina Periods.

It all started when I stumbled across a livejournal community about menstrual cups two years ago. I found this huge collection of personal stories and technical information all about exotic-sounding alternative menstrual products that I’d never heard of before. I’d never been too fond of the limiting and monopolized “feminine hygiene” options in my local pharmacy, so I gathered some money from my savings and ordered a DivaCup online. After a long, anxious wait for the package to come in the mail, then another wait for my period to start, I finally got to use my cup for the first time. It was wonderful and I was hooked! I had never been so happy about being a woman or getting my period before, so I made it my mission to spread the word about menstrual cups.

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The Red Moon contest through Re:Connection Magazine that we mentioned on the blog back in September has found it’s winning poem. A beautiful piece demonstrating that even in pain we can have beautiful moments.

My Blessed Curse

Way back when
when my limbs
were long and thin
the change had finally
come to me.

My mother knew.
I didn’t have to say a word.

How does a mother know?

Way back when,
when my hips
and chest
began to shape
with curves
the pain was so severe
it sent me crying to the floor.

My mother did not judge me
Drama Queen,
but only looked
with sympathetic hazel eyes
then let me know
she would make some tea.

And so my blessed curse came,
came every month,
with nausea, pain and blood.

Still it’s the delicious smells
of cinnamon tea
that I remember most.

Way back when,
when my body young,
curved, thin and firm,
I began to feel
a different way-
a different me-
Yes, my blessed curse had skipped a turn.

And yes, my mother knew.
I didn’t have to say a word.

It must have been the glow.

And there within my ever changing me
grew inside a little mini me,
growing steadily
with my ever growing dreams
of then and now,
the blessed curse,
good moms, good daughters, good lives
and cinnamon tea.

Gloria Campos-Hensley

I picked up a Lunapads flyer/handout paper at the Women’s Centre at UBC about 3 years ago where I’d go to microwave my lunch and chill out sometimes. They had some good posters saying “get off the tampon pony” or something to that effect and I know someone who got TSS so I have always been quite worried about it. I also wanted to cut back on disposable tampons and pads, plus the plastic crinkle of wearing pads to bed always felt a bit embarrassing. In any case, I finally went ahead and ordered the DivaCup and Mini Pantyliners kit and have loved it ever since. I really like the Leopard print Mini Pads cause they’re interesting and way more comfortable to sleep in than disposable pads.

I’ve been camping and traveling in Mexico with the DivaCup and never had any trouble cleaning and taking care of it. The picture of me is on the road to Baja, Mexico. My fiance and I drove our Subaru station wagon down there to go surfing for 2 months last winter. We camped in our tent every night, mostly in out of the way places with no toilets (maybe an outhouse) and no running water. I managed very well with my DivaCup and Lunapads and didn’t have to worry about packing out used tampons and pads, it was great! It’s actually been pretty awesome not to have to worry about finding the Spanish word for tampon to ask for them in Mexican drugstores (like i once had to do in Spain).

In any case, the Lunapads experience has been very liberating. It’s a nice way to take care of myself and the environment and seems to take the yuckiness out of my period (like when I’d worry about wrapping pads thoroughly so they’d be disguised in the bathroom garbage). Thanks again Lunapads and keep up your promotions, I hope lots of other girls will find the same solution as I did.

Flora S.,
Victoria, BC

Mama Goddess Birth Shop, the online store run by our dear friend Nikiah (pictured here), is celebrating it’s 2nd birthday…and she’s asked us to help her celebrate!

We’ve combined our efforts to offer you some great prizes, but since it’s Mama Godess’s birthday, Nikiah’s the one running the show. Check out her News section for full details, or sign up to her newsletter for an entry form.

The contest is a all about a personal touch. She’s looking to have some fun with this birthday, so rather than just answering a question she’s looking for humorous stories you may have about parenting, being a mamma and Lunapads.
Send your stories to: nikiah@mamagoddessbirthshop.com

Two winners will be selected:
First Place will win a Lunapads Intro Kit.
Second Place will recieve a Moon Time Gift Pack from Mama Goddess.
Contest ends at midnight on November 30th and the winners will be announced in the Mama Goddess December Newsletter along with their ” humourous” stories!

Because we believe everyone needs a good chuckle, especially on their Birthdays!

My name is KT and I’m Karen’s daughter. I’m 13 years old and am also home-schooled. I’m writing on my mom’s blog today to review Lunapads. What are Lunapads? Well, they are cloth menstrual pads that can be washed and used again. They have lots of different ways they can be used because the pads, which come in different sizes and have nylon in them to prevent leaks, can have a special liner on them or they can be used on their own. There are also ones made of only cloth for very light days.

I had already had two periods and used disposable pads when my mom found out about Lunapads. I decided to try them because the disposables were very uncomfortable for me. Lunapads are way more comfortable then disposables, and they don’t get sticky and hot. They also don’t crinkle and make lots of noise like disposables do. I hated thinking that my friends could hear my pad crinkle when I walked! They are, in the long run, cheaper as well because you don’t have to replace them every time they get dirty.

An average woman uses 12,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime! And these can take 40 years or longer to biodegrade. Lunapads can be re-used again and again. That’s why they’re less harmful to the environment. They are also easy to clean, just soak them in a little water and put them in the washer. Then air dry them and they are as clean as new!

Not only are they better for me, and the environment, they are just really cute! They come in all kinds of cute fabrics and colors and that’s way more exciting than just plain boring white.

Best of all, I feel so much better about my period now!!

My mom wanted me to write this review so that I could encourage other teenagers to try them. I really like Lunapads and I think you should try them too. If you want to learn more go to Lunapads. There you can find FAQ, testimonials, and a list of their products.

Maybe you can be nice to the environment and yourself at the same time!

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About a year ago I moved from my hometown of Chicago to a small city in the very southwest corner of Arizona. There is not a whole lot of green here, literally or figuratively. Although the brown desert landscape has its charm, the not-so-environmentally-friendly culture is a bit hard to swallow (as is the entire ultra-conservative vibe of the region…but I digress). For example, there are essentially no recycling options in the area for most recyclable products. Since I couldn’t force myself to throw a cardboard box in the garbage even if I tried with both hands, I now have a garage filled with recyclables. They just sit there, hopefully waiting for this town to get it together, or for my next trip to California. Although collecting garbage in your garage is not what you might call an ideal situation, it does make you more aware of the waste you generate. In fact, living here has made me stop and think about a lot of my habits. When I started looking at the choices I make in my daily life, I realized that I was doing a lot of things I simply didn’t agree with out of habit.

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After we had moved into our new house in Comox, my husband started an ‘organic’ non-genetically modified food kick that followed us here to Ontario. I have to admit that the selection here isn’t as good as it was back home, and I might buy a banana or avocado here or there that isn’t organic to help us stay on budget. But we try our best and the lifestyle change is firmly embedded into our cereal choices (General Mills will never set foot in my pantry again… I know never say never, but for now Nature’s Path and Kashi are staples in our grocery list). So now it is my turn. I know nine ladies who are expecting at the moment and two really new moms (it’s an epidemic!). I know that at least 30% of those ladies are planning on cloth diapering at least part time. This got me to thinking (and reading) and I am now on a reusable kick.

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Please share with us your artwork or poetry that reflects your experiences as a woman with The Red Moon, menstruation.

Prize: Lunapads Intro Kit

Contains: 1 Maxi Pad, 1 Maxi Liner, 1 Maxi Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pad, 1 Mini Liner, 1 Mini Wing Liner, 1 Mini Pantyliner and 1 Teeny Pantyliner, all conveniently packaged in a small mesh laundry bag. Includes one washable Nylon carrying pouch.

Submission Guidelines: Submit up to three (3) pieces of artwork and/or poetry by email as a jpeg or word document to ncarere@gmail.com Subject line: Red Moon Contest Or Mail to: Re:Connection Magazine P.O. Box 57 South Slocan V0G 2G0. Please inform us if you wish for your artwork or poetry to be returned.

Contest Deadline: EXTENDED To… November 1st, 2007

Questions: ncarere@gmail.com or 250-509-0593
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Re:Connnection
a grassroots mindset magazine
www.reconnectionmagazine.ca
Fall/Winter 2007-08
SPACE & TIME
ONLINE Mid-October