Allergic to/Irritated by disposable menstrual pads?

[camprunner]

Ok I'm sitting here wondering why I'm literally scared to put my six week old little girl in disposable diapers for daycare (Yeah I'm going to get myself checked out for mental issues..) My older dd broke out in really bad rashes (but just on her bottom) on the rare occasion that we used them and dh did when he was as baby too. Now I know that doesn't guarantee that dd2 will also be allergic to disposables but then I started thinking...

When I wore disposable pads I was always particular about the brand I wore and wouldn't wear tampons at all unless I really wanted to go swimming. I ended up breaking out in reaction to toilet paper during a period one time and quit using disposable pads altogether even letting myself bleed onto my clothes until I got some cloth pads (sorry for TMI).

So I'm wondering if I was the only one that was so irritated by the paper products or if most moms just switch when they put they're kids in cloth diapers?

I actually switched before I had kids but started searching with cloth diapers in mind because I remember dh saying we were going to use them, and I remember thinking if they made cloth diapers they must make cloth for women too. And then I drove a couple of hours to buy some at a healthfood store

[Red Sonja]

I'm sensitive to disposable pads too (itches like crazy!) but didn't put two and two together until after DS was born. When AF came back I bought a Diva Cup and I am so glad to not have to worry about disposable pads again!

Nothing like trying to discretely scratch yourself standing in line at the grocery store.

[Starflower]

My DD actually has trouble with the cloth dipes. We used a diaper service with a special rinse (vinegar, I think) for her first 15 months but used disposibles at night. We ended up switching totally to sposies. (Yuck, I know but they get along better with her bum.) Except for Pampers. Those make her break out. She has very sensitive skin and we've been using the Safeway brand dipes. She seems to do fine with them, though hopefully, she'll want to start using the potty soon instead. The Huggies worked OK too, but the plain old Safeway Supremes seemed to work best for DD.

That said, I have had some pads irritate me as well, although I'm more likely to get a "diaper rash" from my heavy flow. I also just purchased a Diva cup and though it's a little weird at first and took me about 3 days to figure out I needed to trim the stem a bit, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't leak or make a mess. I might use some pads for really light days, but I am glad I got the cup. It's reusable and is medical grade silicone.

My menses were much more comfortable with the cup and my undies instead of the pads. And I hate tampons but used them because of the heavy flow, so I am relieved to not have to deal with that too. Just FYI, there are some other options out there.

Good luck with your diaper stuff at the day care. I don't know why they can't just use the cloth dipes. Seems silly to me.

[whimsy]

It took me a while to put 2 and 2 together as well. (Im glad I'm not the only one) I guess it just never dawned on me that there was another option.

[Sumaiyah]

I too am irritated by disposable pads. I used cloth PP (much lighter than my regular cycle, may be it was the Stinging Nettle infusions ) but for my regular cycle they didn't turn out very well They (some not all) didn't hold very well to wash and line dry so they leaked. Anyway, I decided to make my own and I was in a hurry so my stitching was very weak and they came apart in the washer after use

But while I was making them I had to use sposies and let me tell you I was in pain! So much so that my husband started helping me to make the cloth pads, lol. After giving birth I can fell almost every sensation um down there and I could literally feel the chemicals forcing my body to release um stuff. It was a weird feeling I had never felt before. Needless, to say the second day I was back in cloth and feeling great. IMMEDIATELY after changing into the cloth not even a second later that crazy feeling went away and my flow DRASTICALLY decreased! Amazing!

Sumaiyah
P.S
I have since then made another stash that is usable and made it through the wash and dry. Done all by hand Sewing machine on the way but I still have to learn how to use it first, lol.

[mimid]

I hated my sposie pads and couldn't wear tampons. I would itch and have a horrible rash for a couple of weeks after using them. (A blessing that af only visited 3-5 times a year!) When I joined MDC and learned about cloth, I switched and have never thought about going back.

[partymoo]

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[pixie-n-hertwoboys]

I can't use disposable pads either - pp with #1 ds I got the worst rash and infection. yeah exactly what I needed being a first time mom on top of everything else. I switched to rags after and then got internet and discovered pretty pads ds didn't have any issues w/ sposies but ds #2 came along and by that time I had cd's - he was allergic majorly to sposies except for seventh generation (which you can buy online) he had no reaction to those.

[pumpkin]

I can't use disposable pads. The problems start with a rash and get worse if I continue to use them. Before I figured out it was the pads I was actually having open sores and skin adhesions. Very painful. Some brands of disposable pads and tampons were better than others, but I still had problems.

So now its a menstrual cup and cloth for me.
And will probably be cloth for any babies as well, just need to convince DP. Though he is coming around and has even proposed that we keep a separate washer and dryer (we have 2 sets anyway since we moved in together) just for cloth. Its because he is grossed out by cloth, but hey, I'm not going to complain about having a dedicated machine.

[deliarose]

I have more problems in the summer with the heat and the disposable pads, though I am changing over very slowly. I just used my Diva cup for the first time this month. I like it, but haven't decided if I will use it all the time.