If You Use Cloth Menstrual Pads...

pixieprincss

Do you wash them with your CDs? Do you soak them first? I have used  cloth liners for years with my Diva Cup but they were never really saturated, just more of an emergency backup. I'm guessing that will not be the case with the heavy pads I got for post-partum, so it feels like a whole new washing game.

StephanieDM

I soak them overnight in RnG and then do a mini load with just the pads. I'm thinking I might throw them in with clothes but the aplix would definitely snag the mama cloth I have (stay dry toppers). 

Pink Daisy pads are the ones I use and the larges are HUGE. They would be great for post partum if you are looking to buy more.  

MWoodside

I haven't used them yet.  I am still BFing so no period in well over a year except for pp bleeding.  What do you think of the diva cup?  I've been curious about it.  I am not a pad person.  Before pp bleeding I hadn't used a pad since probably age 13.  The thing that scares me about the Diva cup is what if I am at work & it gets full?  It would weird me out to rinse it in the community bathroom sink, KWIM?

pixieprincss

MWoodside:

I haven't used them yet.  I am still BFing so no period in well over a year except for pp bleeding.  What do you think of the diva cup?  I've been curious about it.  I am not a pad person.  Before pp bleeding I hadn't used a pad since probably age 13.  The thing that scares me about the Diva cup is what if I am at work & it gets full?  It would weird me out to rinse it in the community bathroom sink, KWIM?

Menstrual cups are the greatest AF invention!!! I only think about AF twice a day when I empty the cup. Because I can wear it for so long, I only ever change it in the comfort of my own home. If you had a very heavy flow and did need to empty it at work, you simply dump it in the toilet, wipe it with TP, and reinsert. While it is best to wash with soap and water between insertions, in a public RR it is fine to just go with the wipe-and-wear. But, with a moderate or light flow, you are probably looking at 8 hours between changes.

There is a Diva learning curve and it took me  2 or 3 cycles to not have blow outs, but it was worth the initial struggle. (The cup wasn't opening fully and I should've known this since it wasn't spinning as the instructions say, but I didn't belive it could actually spin.)

MWoodside

Thanks I will have to try the Diva Cup once my cycle returns.

 

I have heard homestead emporium are the best mama cloth for what it's worth. 

tokenhoser

I tried cloth pads many years ago, and I soaked/rinsed them, then just washed them with whatever. I was apartment living at that point, and not willing to pay for such a small load of separate laundry. I was also single, so there was no one to gross out but me.

All I can say is don't get something that's just flannel/cotton. They sucked.

RE: The diva cup: Best thing ever. I only ever had to empty it twice a day (usually in the morning, and then sometime after work or before bed). I used mine for about 7 years before I got knocked up. I should probably replace it with the post-baby size. I am very sad I have to use pads post-partum.