Talk to me about mama cloth.

[northern_sunshine]

I never ever thought I'd consider it, let alone post about it. I'm thinking about switching to mama cloth.

Talk to me about it. Pros? Any Cons? Your routine as far as storage of used pads? Recommended brands/WAHM makers as well as recommendations of fabric combos? How many do you need to not have to wash daily? I have a Mirena, so I don't think I'll have heavy bleeding if any after the initial adjustment period.

TIA Mama's!

[kellybelly]

I love my mama cloth! You definately should try it.

Pros: Soooo comfortable. Almost like a little luxury. Its nice when they come out of the dryer nice & clean, instead of going straight into the trash. They are breathable. They don't chafe and sweat like paper pads. No more lady rash. You get to bypass the pad aisle at the grocery store.

Cons: may stain. Which may be no big deal to most. Need to be cleaned well or they can smell a little swampy. You need to take a ziplock or a wet bag with you to put your dirties in when you go somewhere. Again, not really a big deal, just something to remember.

My routine: I have a little tupperware that I keep water & eucalyptus Dr. Bronnner's in. I rinse the pad out under fresh water, and throw the rinsed pad into the soapy water to sit till wash day. I change the soapy water out each day, or twice a day if the water looks yucky. Then I'll wash them with the next load of laundry.

I have about 12 regular pads, and 3 nighttime pads. I got mine from amazpadz.com, they are awesome! And VERY thin. She has a few choices of fabrics, but I always choose the cotton flannel. She stocks on Mondays.

[care_a_boo]

Do you mind if I piggyback a question here? I'm wondering how many pads to buy specifically for postpartum. I've currently asked for 5 12" maxis (9 layers of flannel) and 3 7" regulars (6 layers of flannel) from this site. But maybe I need more than that. The maker (a friend of mine from another forum) emailed me to ask if 7" is long enough. She also offers 9", but that seems really long to me. (I'm actually holding a measuring tape to my crotch to try to figure this out!) I'm picturing a few days of heavy bleeding, for which I will use the 12" pads, washing daily, and then I figure it'll be more like a regular period, and usually I'd use shorter pads for that. But will 3, or even 5, get me through a day? I do plan to run a load of dipes and such daily (will be ECing, plan to be bad at it for a while), so I really don't need more than a day's worth and one to wear while the laundry runs.

OK, so let me boil all that rambling down to two specific questions:

1) How many pads does it take to get through a day of normal flow?
2) Will I need a longer area of coverage for postpartum (even once it eases off to normal period intensity) than I would usually for a period?

[ItyBty]

Pros?
Sooooooo Comfy! On another forum I've seen then described as comfy PJ's for your period. It's really just like wearing undies - no more sticky plastic!

Cons?
Ummm.... there aren't any. Ok, if pressed I will admit you have to be a litle creative about traveling while on AF. But it's perfectly doable, just bring along a ziplock bag.

Your routine as far as storage of used pads?
I have a plastic w/ plastic lidded Folgers coffee canister that just lives on the back of the toilet. I do stash it when we have company though. It holds about a days worth of used pads, and when its full, I do a lod of laundry and toss in the used pads.

Recommended brands/WAHM makers as well as recommendations of fabric combos?
That one I can't answer, I made all of mine using my own version of patterns from 2 different sites. These are the best I've found so far.
http://shewhorunsintheforest.googlepages.com/
http://www.diapersewing.com/clothpads.htm

How many do you need to not have to wash daily?

That depends on how heavy your flow is. I started Clomid the same time I started using cloth, so my AF has been wickedly heavy - FAR more than usual when I'm not on Clomid. That said, here is my review for really heavy AF. I have 6 heavy-use pads, and on a heavy day, I use them ALL. For lighter days, I only use medium flow, and prolly use about 5 a day if I'm changing often. I'd say 5 heavy, 5 medium and 5 light would get most people thru an average AF, but thats just a guess.

Sorry, but I can't answer the PP question, yet anyway.

[care_a_boo]

ItyBty--Thanks for the info. I've placed an order for a total of 10 pads. 5 12" and 5 9". I finally measured the pads I've made myself and the disposables I used to like, and found they were both 9", so PP or not, it seems the better length for me.

Northern Sunshine--Sorry to have hijacked your thread and then not even been courteous enough to answer your question. That was rude of me. OK, Pros: I don't get rashes anymore, I don't spend any money on pads anymore, I feel less wasteful. Cons: Well, I pretty much use them as backup for my menstral cup or on light days, so I don't really have any trouble with washing them (as they don't get much blood on them) or managing dirties when away from home (I don't generally need to change much, and one will do unti I get home from work). But I can see where those might be issues on full flow days. But, since you never thought you'd be interested in cloth, and yet here you are, what is it that has brought you to the point of posting about it? What interests you about cloth, or what dissatisfies you about disposables? That might help us address your specific concerns.

[northern_sunshine]

Well, disposables smell kinda funky for one (I thought I had an infection PP but it was the pads!). I don't have a very heavy flow (and will more than likely have even less now that I have a Mirena). Plus, I get leaks, the stick gets stuck to me (owwie) or stays stuck to my undies (and it's hard to get off!) I hate the ripping sound of pulling one off in a public bathroom (nothing like advertising!!) They make me itch sometimes...BADLY. Plus we've been moving toward less disposables and more natural stuff (no chemical cleaners, I ditched the regular antiperspirant, mostly use cloth for cleaning)

Cloth kinda fascinates me. They're pretty, for one (I'm a sucker for pretty things). And they seem comfy. To be honest, I never thought of it til I came here.

[care_a_boo]

Originally Posted by northern_sunshine

They're pretty, for one (I'm a sucker for pretty things). And they seem comfy. To be honest, I never thought of it til I came here.

These are awfully pretty. I haven't tried them, but velour! http://www.diaperware.com/mooncare/wahmarama.htm

[StrongSingleMama]

I LOVE mama cloth and would never go back to icky plastic pads. Cloth pads are sooo comfy. I just feel healthier wearing them!

[treemom2]

Pros: I'm not using disposible pads that have been bleached and therefore are very unhealthy for my body. They don't seem to leak as much as the disposible pads--sometimes the blood would just run off the pad onto my panties. No stickers to get stuck on my leg, or anyplace else. I think I have a lighter flow since switching to cloth. Also, they are so much more comfy than plastic. I love my cloth pads!!!!!!!

Cons: Yep, gotta wash them. Not really a big deal. I actually put mine in the diaper pail and wash everything together. Mine do have a little staining, but that's okay, I don't really mind. Like a pp said, you need to have something like a ziploc to put them in when they are used and they do take up a little more room in your purse/pocket than the disposible.

I honestly don't know how many pads you will need. I do know that I definately don't have enough and many months (when not pg ) have to resort to using DS's diaper doublers when washing my pads.

[aiccerb]

Originally Posted by care_a_boo

1) How many pads does it take to get through a day of normal flow?
2) Will I need a longer area of coverage for postpartum (even once it eases off to normal period intensity) than I would usually for a period?

I used cloth pp with my dd and found the postpartum pads were not worth the money for me The first couple days, when you are flowing really heavy, the pp didnt work for me. TMI here...but when I would "gush" standing up the blood would just saturate the pad/underwear immediatly. The extra length didnt seem to help at all...it was more all in the center.

I landed up using my premie prefolds in my underwear at night & just used two of my regular pads during the day/rest of the time. The pp pads were handy for in my dd's diaper wraps though, as the prefolds were too big for her

[eden/averymum]

funny farm creations! just email her, she's a mama here, I think her name is todzwife, anyhow, her work is superb, her fabrcis are heavenly, the service is great!

www.funnyfarmcreations.fourlittleducks.com

[Benji'sMom]

I never ever thought I'd consider it, let alone post about it. I'm thinking about switching to mama cloth.

Talk to me about it. Pros? Any Cons? Your routine as far as storage of used pads? Recommended brands/WAHM makers as well as recommendations of fabric combos? How many do you need to not have to wash daily? I have a Mirena, so I don't think I'll have heavy bleeding if any after the initial adjustment period.

TIA Mama's!

Pros: More comfy than disposable pads or tampons (I was a tampon user before switching to cloth)
Shorter periods
No PMS or cramps

Cons: None.

Routine for used pads: I have a little flip top trash can in my bathroom and I wash them with diapers (could also be washed with towels). I rinse them off in the sink before putting them in the little trashcan, but that's not necessary to keep them clean, it just keeps them from staining. I Hot wash.

Recommended brands: That depends. I think the size you like determines which pads you'll like. I like longer ones with waterproofing and wings:
Moonflower pads www.babydreamsboutique.com
www.amazpadz.com
www.etsy.tamarack.com

If you like them shorter I think newmoonpads.com and hagrag.com and snap-ez4life.com and lunapads.com have shorter ones.

How many? 12 is more than enough for me, with the right absorbencies.