Lunapads Blog

Sarah Juliusson is one of our most valued friends and colleagues here at Lunapads. She is the mother of two boys, and founder of Mama Renew, offering community and inspiration for new and seasoned mothers. She also mentors Birthing From Within prenatal classes in Vancouver & Victoria, BC.

New motherhood…we envision the sweetness of a newborn, a baby’s fresh and pure gaze, blissful breastfeeding, and the joy of getting to know our child. Three days postpartum most new mothers dissolve into something resembling a puddle. Exhausted, emotional, overwhelmed…not to mention bleeding, soreness, swelling, and a belly that still looks about five months pregnant. The first days and weeks after the birth of your baby are indeed a beautiful time, and there is much sweetness to celebrate. North American culture, however, is lacking in supportive postpartum traditions and rituals. The intensity of the postpartum period is neither discussed nor honoured, and too many women feel a sense of isolation when they should be feeling nourished and supported. Without a strong set of cultural guidelines to go by, we have the opportunity to create something new.

Here are some ideas to support a healthy unfolding into motherhood:

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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!

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We’ve had a great time celebrating Women’s Month with some awesome theme giveaways for Girls and Teens, Pregnant Gals, and Fence-sitters. It’s not too late to enter any of these, so for any of you who fall into these categories, read the posts and add your comment for a chance to win some Lunapads goodies!

Our final giveaway for the month was partially inspired by the recent discussion about the whole rationale for choosing natural menstrual products. Is it really “worth it”, and if so what did it mean to you?

For this final giveaway post we are looking for women who have recently switched to our products (post fence-sitters, if you will!) to talk about this very thing. In other words, what making the switch was like, how it may have surprised you or differed from your expectations, or what kind of a difference it has made for you.

New Lunagals, tell us your stories!

Post your comment below for a chance to win 1 of 3 $25 Lunapads.com Gift Certificates. Winners will be announced in our April newsletter, so stay tuned!

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Organic Bikini Lunapanties

Welcome to our next installment of our International Women’s Month celebration! This time it’s for Moms-to-be.

Here’s lovely photo of one of our longest-term (pun intended!) collaborators, the lovely Emira Mears of Raised Eyebrow and The Boss of You, taken mere hours before the arrival of lovely little Lena at our recent Lunapanties photoshoot.

We have 3 sets of 2 Organic Mini Pantyliners, so anyone out there who is currently expecting, comment below to tell us where you are, how many weeks you’re at, and what your favorite thing about being pregnant to be entered. Winners will be announced in our April newsletter.

Organic Mini Pantyliner

While I’m here, check out the blog of one of my favorite pregnant gals: the one and only Chloe Jo Berman of the fabulously green Girlie Girl Army. If you’re expecting and wondering about eco positive diapering choices, I have just written a guest blog post for GGA about cloth diapering and more – check it out!

 Good luck, and don’t forget to smile at a pregnant gal today!

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If you had told me 16 years ago when I first started developing Lunapanties that one day they would take me halfway around the world and almost drive me crazy, I would never have believed you. How could underwear possibly do this?

Lunapanties, as their legions of fans will be happy to tell you (ladies, you can stop calling and emailing about when they’re going to be in stock now!) are no ordinary underwear.  The basic idea behind Lunapanties is a hybrid between Lunapads and underwear, where the pad is permanently sewn into the gusset of the panty, with added bands at either end to hold Liners in place like pad-style Lunapads do.

Lunapanties are highly functional underwear that happily accommodate what we have come to affectionately call everyday ”random leakiness” to full on menstrual flow. Think: everyday whatnot issues associated with sneezing, laughing, having stayed up late for some (ahem) fun, being pregnant, postpartum, or heck, even your plain old period. Just add liners as necessary, to accommodate your needs.

Knowing we had a fantastic product on our hands, we set out 2 years ago to find new production partners to improve the overall quality and meet customer demand for new styles and colors (cue the Gilligan’s Island theme song)! I’m going to pause for a moment of gratitude for all of you who have waited so patiently while our “3 hour tour” turned into an international odyssey. What took so long? Allow me to explain..

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Once again, the local birthing community is gathering for it’s annual celebration of all things related to pregnancy, birthing, babies and parenting. Last year we attended this jam packed event and we’ll be there again with our own table.

Birthfest, organized by our good friend and colleague Sarah Juliusson and my midwives, is a fantastic FREE community festival bringing together local maternity care providers, family-focused businesses and entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations. Bring the whole family, as there will be entertainment and performers, as well as great items for give away and raffle.

When: Saturday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Brittania Community Centre, Gym D

Come early and check it out if you live the in the lower mainland of Vancouver (and don’t forget to stop by to say hello!) I am personally looking forward to spending the day reconnecting with dear friends, colleagues and customers and discussing the film The Business of Being Born (which we LOVED! A must see.)

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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

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In general, I think most pregnant women don’t realize they have a lot of birthing choices. Almost 6 years ago, I went to my family doctor to confirm I was pregnant. After he congratulated me, he said he no longer practiced obstetrics and referred me to an obstetrician. My OB was a very kind gentle soul, but he’d “tsk tsk” me anytime I asked questions about alternative approaches to prenatal care and birthing. Back then, I was so naive that I didn’t even know what a midwife and doula did!

Fortunately for those of us in Canada, a few provincial medical plans fully cover the cost of using a midwife for prenatal, delivery and post natal care. Recently, my daily mainstream newspaper reported “Fewer and fewer family doctors are willing to live the lifestyle of obstetrics. The traditional way – where the doctor is the only one who can deliver a baby – is going to have to change. Nurses and midwives are very capable of delivering low-risk babies.”. Finally! A positive news story about the need for more birthing choices for women. If I had read this 6 years ago, I would have sought out a midwife. Fortunately, for my second birth, I had the most amazing team of midwives (pictured) who completely supported me in my desire to have a beautiful home birth.

While most women give birth in hospitals, at the opposite end of the birth spectrum is the practice of ‘unassisted childbirth’ or ‘freebirth’. Here is a link to a recent story about it. “Freebirthing” is the practice of giving birth at home, without the help of obstetricians, nurses or even midwives or doulas. Those who promote unattended delivery, called “freebirth,” say the practice offers mothers-to-be a natural way of welcoming their child into the world, free from drugs, machinery and medical intervention. Needless to say, the negative, scary tone of this story got me and my crunchy mama friends really riled up!

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There was a story in one of our national papers today about one of the downsides of having a doula at your birth. It had the annoying title “Aggravated at birth” with an illustration of a pregnant woman being pulled in two directions: one by a hospital nurse and another by a doula. While it is nice to see a mainstream newspaper write about doulas (women who provide coaching and support to birthing moms and their partners) I was dismayed to see the negative angle being highlighted. The story presented the view that doulas are buidling up hostility between themselves and hospital nurses due to differences in philosophy about birthing. While it is unfortunate that “extreme” doulas like the ones described in the article do exist, not all are like this, and they don’t need this kind of PR.

I was assisted by a doula for both my births. My first birth was in a hospital and I was surrounded by strangers (my doctor was on holidays) so I was grateful for the familiar face of my doula in the birthing room. She was encouraging, never pushy and never got in the way. She had techniques for me to manage the pain and gave lots of support to my partner too. In retrospect, I wished she was more vocal when my doctor insisted on giving me an episiotimy. I remember looking at my doula feeling stressed about the situation, but she just quietly watched and let me make the call. I reluctantly gave in to the episiotimy, but the experience made me determined to have a more gentle birth the second time.

The second time around, I had a great team of midwives and felt more confident about birth. I was surprised when they asked me if I was considering a doula for my second birth. I thought I didn’t need one, but I’m glad I opted for a doula again. Aleksandra, (pictured here with my son Garret) was not only extremely knowledgeable, but she was very much in tune with my needs prenatally and during labour (and I was much more clear about my needs the second time around too.)

In my view, a doula is an essential person to have at your birth (and a great pre and post natal resource too). Just be sure to hire one who fits your needs and personality. Don’t assume that she will speak up for you and make decisions for you, and don’t let her run the show. Get referrals from other moms, and make sure you establish a good connection with her. The last thing you want is someone who is inflexible and doesn’t really understand what you want… especially in the throws of full on labour!

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When I was pregnant with Aiden 4 years ago, I read about blessingway ceremonies and immediately realized this is what I wanted for me and the baby. Last week, surrounded by a dozen special women in my life, we had another blessingway ceremony for me and baby #2, and it was a special night indeed.

A blessingway ceremony originates from a navajo tradition to celebrate, support and honour many of life’s changes. With the help of a little research on google, I worked with a dear friend, Signy Wilson, to develop a blessingway ceremony to honour the upcoming birth and create some special energy so that the baby would feel safe and welcome coming into the world. Signy, our spiritual leader for the evening, not only set the stage and led us through an amazing ceremony, but knows how to bring out the goddess out in all of us. We sat in a cirlce, cleansed the space, honoured our matrilineal line and adorned an altar with symbollic treasures and reminders for me to use during the birth.

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