Lunapads Blog

Photo ©Sandra Vander Schaaf, with permission

This blog post is way overdue, since my “baby” is turning 4 years old this summer! My older son Aiden (4 years old at the time this was taken), is pictured here caressing his new sibling who arrived only a week after this photo was taken (by the very talented photographer Sandra Vander Schaaf of www.theartofseeing.ca). When I learned that a super hip website called Offbeat Mama had blogged about “Post partum period woes” and garnered 100 comments (one of their most popular blog posts ever!) it kicked me into gear in posting my own story about “Going with the Flow” pre- and post baby.

Being pregnant and giving birth are among the most impactful and unique life experiences I have ever had. I feel particularly blessed to have been there twice, with both births being remarkable events I will never forget.  I recognize this isn’t necessarily the case for all women (having experienced 3 heartbreaking miscarriages, not to mention having had the privilege of multiple safe birthing options available to me), so I am mindful when approaching the subject of pregnancy and birth. That said, when I sense that the listener is receptive to hearing my perspective, I become an enthusiastic advocate of birth choices, and describe my experiences and passion for the different ways women can use Lunapads and Lunapanties to support themselves during pregnancy, labour and postpartum.

Here goes!

Pregnancy: For the next 9 months, you will be learning about and experiencing all the changes that will be happening in your body. One of the most common and obvious things that occurs during pregnancy is the amount of additional attention we begin paying to their bodies: what we eat, do and wear. While there are gals out there who truly “heart” their periods, most of us are pretty happy to say “later, Honey!” to our monthly visits from Aunt Flo, at least for a little while. Monthly bleeding however is often replaced by what can sometimes turn into an abundance of daily discharge called leukorrhea. What is a pregnant gal supposed to do about all this extra fluid?  Lunapanties to the rescue! Conveniently, at the time I was pregnant with Aiden, Madeleine had just re-introduced Lunapanties to our expanding product line. Today, our new and improved Lunapanties are made with a gorgeous organic cotton blend of knit and fleece padding in the gusset and are available in 4 styles and 7 sizes.  The bikini style (I’m wearing a pair in the picture) makes for perfect pregnancy underwear.

Labour: This phase can feel scary because it is impossible to compare it to anything you’ve ever done before. The best advice I can give is to find a trusted doula and midwife who will give you the care and attention you (and your partner, if you have one) will need during this dramatic journey. As for comfort, one thing I was particularly grateful for during labour was a hot compress my midwife placed on my perineum just before the baby’s head was starting to crown. (You know how in cheesy TV shows where they say in a panic “go boil some hot water and get some clean towels“? This must be what they were preparing for!) I had equipped my midwife in advance with some Heavy Lunapads & Heavy Tri-Fold Liners and I gratefully received these hot pads during an intense moment.

Birth: When I gave birth to Aiden, I tore and underwent an episiotomy. Knowing I had a very sore perineum, my doula had an ice-cold compress (made with Lunapads Heavy Liners and a Heavy Pad) ready for me. TIP: Soak a few liners and pads in cold water, wring out the excess moisture, and form the liner and pad into a rounded shape. Place in the freezer, ready for removal to provide instant relief to your tender perineum after the birth! Determined not to repeat the episiotomy experience the second time around, with help from my fabulous birthing team I was able to deliver my second child without intervention! Curious readers can read about my happy home birth story here.

Post partum bleeding: While the experience will vary for every woman, be prepared for a 2 week long period that is very heavy for the first few days. I bled significantly more after the first birth, (my theory is because it was a more difficult birth and because I was given an injection to expel the placenta.)  In contrast, my second birth was a very gentle home birth and only I bled for as long as a regular period.  Speaking of periods, here is when the Lunapanties that you wore during pregnancy will come in handy again: Lunapanties are great for post partum bleeding.  On your first few heavy bleeding days, I recommend a Post Partum Kit, which contains a Long Pad and a Heavy Pad with an assortment of removable Liner Inserts. While Lunapanties may not completely absorb the flow on the super heavy days (unless you are being super diligent and changing your tri-fold heavy liners frequently) Lunapanties are awesome on your medium and lighter flow days. Lunapanties are also ideal to wear because you simply never know when your regular period will come back, post baby.

Addendum: What about using Lunapads in a hospital setting? Some readers have asked us whether Lunapads are welcome in a hospital setting and how the nurses might feel about bringing your own cloth pads for the birth.  Our answer to this is to simply check with your hospital and care givers in advance, as those policies will vary for every facility (and most probably have never even considered it before).  My personal opinion is that if you can be self sufficient in using Lunapads (ie: you don’t need help changing your own pads, bring your own carry bag to store fresh and used Lunapads) then I can’t see why they would object.  If there are readers out there who have brought cloth diapers for their hospital birth, we’d love to hear your experience.

Other handy pre- and post baby products to mention: Lunablankets make great bed blankets for birth and post partum bleeding, as well as a handy baby blanket or change pad. Our peri bottles are essential post partum: no wiping your tender perineum… just squirt yourself with warm water instead!

Be sure to check out Offbeat Mama again on June 25th, as they will have a new blog post about Lunapads, including a contest.

In the meantime, why not enter our contest here too? Post a comment below about why you’d like to win a pair of Long Pads & Liners (from the batch currently on sale). Contest winners will be announced in our next newsletter.

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