Menstrual Cup Diaries...the first time!

Today is officially day 2 of my cycle but really the first proper day of bleeding and I totally wore my Ruby Cup menstrual cup for the first time and rocked it...I'm still wearing it right now at 11.30pm! I did have what can only be described as a hilarious start to my cup wearing day. I decided to go with my Ruby Cup small as in her recent video "Tips for using a menstrual cup after struggling with tampons" Bryony recommended the Ruby Cup as a good starter cup and she wasn't wrong about that! So I am in my parent's upstairs bathroom with my cup and the Water Glide lubricant that I got from Bryony's website www.preciousstars.net 

Water Glide 

150ml

£5.99

So let me tell you I was not sparing with this lubricant! Oh no friend I used what you might call a healthy and generous amount of this lubricant all over the outside of my cup and then that is when the fun started! I proceeded to drop my cup on the bathroom floor not once but twice because it was SO unbelievably slippery...lesson learned friends, less is definitely more! After picking up my cup and washing it and then dropping it again almost immediately and washing it a second time I decided to see if I could insert it without the lubricant. I quickly discovered that I couldn't get my legs far enough apart with my jeans on so they had to come off and at this point it is coming a bit of an ordeal and I am thinking is this really worth it? Then do you know what happened? The cup went it AND it popped open first time! No word of a lie I double and triple checked it was open by running my finger around the outer rim of the cup and there it was all snug as a bug, all of the stem was inside too so I think going off of that and guidelines I've seen from some of the groups on Facebook and Bryony's videos that I have a high cervix but it will probably take a few cycles to figure that out. In the mean time I am leaving my stem in tact. I got really brave and wore my cup to work this afternoon with a TCS- Eco regular cloth pad as back up. I did leak on to the pad a little bit but that OK that's what the pad was there for. I stopped into my flat on my way back to my parent's house from work and took out my cup, which was much easier than I has been anticipating it would be! I emptied it out, rinsed it and put it right back in again. It was about half way full I'd say when I emptied it and that is kind of what I was expecting. As I have said in previous posts, I am very blessed to have a light to moderate flow so I wasn't worried at any point that my cup would overflow. I knew that the Ruby Cup size small would be absolutely fine for me. I definitely could have left my cup in longer and it would not have been a problem at all. I had it in for about 6 hours so wore it for about half of the recommended time and my cup was about half full so I am taking that as a good sign. I have decided I'm not going to wear my cup over night just for peace of mind though I'm sure nothing would happen but also because I have so many new pretties to try out! So that has been the first day of wearing my Ruby Cup menstrual cup has been a complete success and I am very happy that I pretty much couldn't feel the cup once it was inserted! Watch this space for more updates coming soon as I continue trying out my other cups. 

Facebook groups and Instagram accounts to follow!

These are some of my favorite Facebook groups that have the best information, advice and tips and tricks! Most of these are Closed or Private groups so you will have to request to join and sometimes there is a bit of a wait as some of the groups are quite large and have a number of different admins moderating new requests. 

CSP & Reusable Products Sales Group 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/326931120746807/

Cloth Pads B/S/T

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothPadsBST/

UK Rumps Swaps

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1736630393254944/

Reusable and Handmade Products

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReusableAndHandmadeProducts/?fref=nf

European Cloth Pads B/S/T

https://www.facebook.com/groups/243261762714504/

TCS-Eco and Friends

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tcseco/

Moongazy Cloth 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/moongazycloth/

Flow of the Goddess Cloth Pads

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlowOfTheGoddessClothPads/ 

Preciousstarspads YT 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/148870641972585/

Amy Nix Cloth & Cups YT Group 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/623672741070527/

These are some of my absolute favorite Instagram accounts that you should definitely be checking out and following! I love nothing more than scrolling through my Petite Paddict Instagram (follow me https://www.instagram.com/petitepaddict/) and seeing all of the amazing creations that these wonderful accounts share...one day I will be able to sew! Keep an eye out for an up coming post all about how I have started learning to sew and how I am getting on making some of my first cloth pads!

Emilla Pads

https://www.instagram.com/emillapads/

Cloth Connection Outreach

https://www.instagram.com/clothconnectionoutreach/

A & B's Reusables

https://www.instagram.com/anbsreusables/

Bright n Beautiful 

https://www.instagram.com/brightnbeautiful74/

Treat Trove

https://www.instagram.com/thetreattrove/

TikTaks (Tamari)

https://www.instagram.com/tiktaks_clothpads/

Ding and Kennie

https://www.instagram.com/dingandkennie/

Teysha's Creations

https://www.instagram.com/teyshas_creations/

Homestead Emporium

https://www.instagram.com/homesteademporium/

Leonorafi Cloth Pads

https://www.instagram.com/leonoraficloth/

I'll be doing a separate post on my favorite YouTube channels as there are quite a few of them and I want to do a mini review on each on them too. Let me know about your favorite Facebook groups and Instagram accounts as I love finding new people to follow! 

Menstrual Cup Showcase

My Menstrual Cup Collection 

I have 4 menstrual cups in my collection, non of which I have actually used yet, but this month (March 2017) that is about to change! I'm going to be honest with you guys - I'm pretty nervous but I have watched a lot of YouTube videos - Bryony Farmer of Precious Stars Pad in particular - and I feel like I am as ready as I could possibly be. I am also prepared for it not to go very well the first few times and know that it will take practice and a lot of patience which I tend to have a lack of but I am determined that this will work out for me! I WILL be a menstrual cup user. All of these cups are hypoallergenic, toxin-free, durable, and are is no way harmful to human the body. 

Lunette Model 1 (size small) 

Diameter: 41mm

Height of cup: 47mm

Length of stem: 25mm

Volume: 25ml
Price: $39.99 USD

This is actually the newest menstrual cup in my collection and I was very fortunate enough to have won this in a giveaway held by Lunette on their Facebook group for international group members. So I did not pay anything to have this cup and am very grateful to Lunette for hosting their giveaway and for picking me as one of their lucky winners! This cup is made of 100% FDA approved medical grade silicone and is manufactured in Finland. On their website Lunette recommend this cup for women with "light to moderate flow, or who are younger or, have not yet experienced intercourse". Of course these are not hard and fast rules but guidelines from Lunette for what they suggest might be the best fit with this cup. Find Lunette menstrual cups at https://www.lunette.com/us

MeLuna Classic (size large) 

Diameter: 44mm

Height of cup: 51mm

Volume: 34ml

Price: €15.90 Euros

I received this cup as part of a trade I did with a woman named Marsi via her Instagram account. It came from USA preloved but is originally manufactured in Germany. The MeLuna is made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). My MeLuna has the small ball stem but Meluna also offers a typical long stem they call stem, a ring stem and a stemless cup that MeLuna calls basic. On their website MeLuna advise that the Classic size large is mainly used by women "who [have] already had vaginal births and women who have heavy menstrual flow, and their physique can be described as normal or strong...Therefore, it can also be used by women with weak pelvic floor muscles." As above these statements are not the be all and end all for using this particular cup but rather suggestions made by MeLuna for what they think will work best for their cup users. Find MeLuna menstrual cups at http://www.me-luna.eu/en_GB

Ruby Cup (size small)

Diameter: 40mm

Height of cup: 46mm

Length of stem: 19mm

Volume: 24ml

Price: £25.77 GBP

The Ruby Cup was the first cup I had in my collection and the only one I have paid to own. I bought it from Bryony Farmer's website (http://www.preciousstars.net) in December 2016 as Bryony was offering a 20% off your order discount code so I jumped on it! I had been thinking about getting a menstrual cup for a while and had been watching and re-watching all of Bryony's videos about menstrual cups and her advice on which cups she thinks are the best and why. Also the fact that she carries Ruby Cup on her website (as well as other menstrual cup brands) is a testament to how good she think it is that she is promoting it on her business page. The Ruby Cup is manufactured in Germany and is made of 100% FDA approved medical grade silicone. Ruby Cup does an absolutely amazing thing where they automatically donate a cup to a girl in need in East Africa when you buy a Ruby Cup. This helps keep girls and young women in school where they can continue to receive an education which they would otherwise miss out on during their menstruation cycle. Find Ruby Cup menstrual cups at http://www.http://rubycup.com/shop/

Sckoon Cup Size 1 (size small)

Diameter: 40mm

Height of cup: 40mm

Length of stem: 30mm

Volume: 23ml

Price: $38.99 USD

The Sckoon Cup is the other cup that I traded for, this time on Facebook with a woman named Argyro. It came to me from Greece but the Sckoon cup is originally manufactured in USA and is made from 100% FDA approved medical grade silicone. On their website Sckoon Cup highlights one unique difference between themselves and other menstrual cup makers in that "Sckoon Cup is made from one single piece of silicone, which offers maximum durability with a completely smooth outer surface". Most other menstrual cups are molded in two separate pieces before being fused together during the assembly process which leaves a seam on the outside of the cup which is filed down to create a smooth finish on the outer edge of the menstrual cup. The way Sckoon Cup is molded is in one complete piece that gradually thickens from the base of the cup to the rim with no ridges. Find Sckoon Cup menstrual cup at https://www.sckoon.com/

I hope this menstrual cup run down has been helpful and informative for you all. I will be posting another blog soon with my first impressions of the cup or cups I try during my up coming cycle which is due to start tomorrow (Monday 13th March 2017) and my trials and tribulations - it is sure to be an entertaining read! Wish me luck!

What does RUMPS mean?!...An acronym and terminology guide!

When I first started looking into the reusable menstrual product community and was reading as much information and soaking it in like the Stacey shaped sponge that I am I was very confused by a lot of the acronyms that there were. So I thought it would be helpful to list them here to help make sense of the acronyms and terminology that is used within the community. I'll keep coming back when I think of more to add to the list as I see more and if you think of any that I have missed leave me a comment down below and I'll be sure to get it added to the list!

RUMPS - reusable menstrual products

CSP - cloth sanitary products

Mama cloth - This is another way people in the community can refer to reusable menstrual products. Many users of cloth pads found them because they use cloth nappies on their children and this is most likely where the phrase came from. However some people feel that this phrase isn't inclusive of those who don't or can't have children. 
RTS - ready to ship. This is a phrase that cloth pad makers use when advertising their products as ready to buy and find a new home. 

WAHM - work at home manufacturer. This is the phrase given to the wonderful women and men who create beautiful bespoke RUMPS from their homes.
WIWTM - What I wore this month. This is where people share pictures of the cloth pads, menstrual cups and other reusable menstrual products they wore on their cycle (once they have been washed of course!)

ILP - inter labial pad. This is usually oval or eye shaped and is folded and worn internally to help direct the flow of your menstrual blood onto your cloth pad. They are usually cotton topped and fleece backed with no core.

Cup spot - A circular shaped place you can put your cup down on when you are emptying it out and cleaning it during your cycle. they are also usually cotton topped and fleece back with no core.  

Scrundies - Underwear that are designed in a variety of shapes and styles. They have no elastic in them and are super comfortable to wear. Typically they do not have any absorbency in them and you wear a cloth pad around the gusset of the middle just as you would a typical pair of underwear but some makers do include an absorbency and will work with you to create a custom piece. 

Terms used to describe pad absorbency:

Liner

Light

Moderate

Regular

Heavy

Super Heavy

Over Night

Postpartum 

Fabrics:

OCV - organic cotton velour 

OCBV - organic cotton bamboo velour

OBV - organic bamboo velour

OBF - organic bamboo fleece

SOBF - super organic bamboo fleece

HOBF - heavy organic bamboo fleece

Terms that are used when buying, selling and trading pads:

B/S/T - busy/sell/trade. This is generally found on Facebook groups where people offer up pads and menstrual cups up to sell or trade for other things that they know will work for them.

New - As it was when it was bought, nothing has been done to it.

Prepped/Pre-Washed - Washed prior to use as recommended but not used.

EUC - excellent used condition

VGUC very good used condition

GUC - good used condition

UC - used condition

pilling/pilled - where bobbles have appeared on the fabric as a result of washing

ppd - postage paid domestic; which means the price listed for the pas includes the price of postage and shipping.This is usually used by US cloth pad group members and means you will need to ask about international postage and shipping prices to your home country.

pp/pp ready - PayPal and/or PayPal ready. This is the most commonly used method of payment between two parties when buying from one another as it is the safest and security way to pay over the internet. 

ISO - in search of. People may post in various group that they are looking for a particular kind of pad; be it length, absorbency, topper or maker.  

Seconds/Thirds - These are terms used to refer to the quality of a pad. Usually this will come from the maker themselves and they will offer up their RUMP at a discount because they feel that it is not up to their usual standard. There might be flaws, stitching issues, scratched or chipped snaps or any other issue that the maker will draw attention to. Seconds and thirds quality pads are usually always still functional but just aren't as aesthetically pleasing as a maker's usual standard. 

I hope that was helpful and not too difficult to read. That's everything I can think of at the moment but like I said at the beginning of the post please feel free to get in contact and let me know if there are other things you can think of or things I have missed out or if you feel I have incorrectly defined something.

An introduction

Welcome to my first blog!

A quick introduction is in order first I think. 

My name is Stacey, I'm 28 and living in central Scotland (where it rains A LOT of the time!). I recently graduated from university for the second time with my MSc in Child Development (Merit) and currently work as a Play Worker. 

I began my journey into the cloth pad and reusable menstrual products world in April 2016 and have never looked back. It happened by total accident and that is the honest truth! I was looking for new content to watch on YouTube and one of Bryony Farmer's Precious Stars videos was recommend to me and as the old cliched saying goes the rest was history! I was fascinated by this "alien" concept. Bleeding on to cloth and then washing it only to use it again?! WHAT is this madness?! I had to know more so I watch all of Bryony's videos over a weekend and then started looking up the work at home mum's, makers and companies that Bryony mentioned and I was hooked! The idea that I could actually have a comfortable and dare I say it enjoyable period was definitely not something to be sniffed at. I started out by reading as much as I could from the comments section of Bryony's videos and then started subscribing to other like minded people on YouTube like Amy Nix and Pad Thai. I discovered very quickly that there was a whole community on Facebook that I had absolutely no idea was there. I started requesting to join these Closed or Private groups on Facebook and this is where I really was able to start learning about the ins and outs of how cloth pads worked, what they can be used for other than menstruation and that there is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from the amazing women who are a part of these groups. I know people often say "there is no such thing as a stupid question" and "we all had to start from somewhere" but these sentiments could not be truer of the wonderful women I have come to find in these groups and in the community in general. They are so welcoming and understanding and are more than willing to help out with any questions and queries that you have and that is so amazing. It is so empowering to be a part of this awesome community! 

And now here we are! Almost exactly 1 year on and I am so thankful that I randomly stumbled upon that Precious Stars video and discovered this amazing community. Keep an eye out for other posts coming soon!   

The YouTube channels I mentioned above:

Precious Stars Pads https://www.youtube.com/user/preciousstarspads

Amy Nix https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb7ieA0-U0R6ldxSnqGsj-g

Pad Thai https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJfVrKcVxWfm3cLFMAz09Uw