Parrothead

My Mother grew up in the 20's/30's very poor. They made their own (3 girls in the family). Mother made them for me when I had my first baby (1957) as I was having infection problems and heavy bleeding. She used old sheets and after folding into pads heated them in the oven to santitize. They were certainly more comfortable than the purchased pads.

azdesertrat

there is a place that you can buy them and reuse them,by washing them with every use,thats how they did it in olden times,there is a website cant tremember it though

ToucanSam

I second that.

chamby

Okay I will join in. Yuck. Who in their right mind would want these. I certainly would not want to launder these things. What a mess!!!!!

crafty

What did woman use years ago. I'm sure they needed something. I used old rags in a pinch. We lived in the country and didn't go to town but once a week. With 3 girl who knows.

MadQuilter

I am sooooooooooo glad I had a hysterectomy.

dixiechunk

I soooo want to ignore this thread and just not read it but I am drawn to it like a fly to...well...a pail of dirty mama cloths! It has been quite interesting and informative. Never heard of diva cups or mama cloths and thankfully never HAD to use them, and it would most certainly have been an absolute necessity for me to even consider it. It's not that I'm prudish and I never got into all the euphemisms about menstruation, I'm not afraid or embarassed to say vagina, breasts, penis...you get the point. But our ancestors were mostly pregnant after they reached puberty, stayed pregnant or nursing, and died usually before they reached menopause. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers (if they weren't in the same position as our ancestors) didn't have disposable pads, they HAD to use rags and such. And IMHO cloth diapers is a whole 'nother issue. Babies HAVE to wear diapers 24/7 for a couple of years or more, I would expect the issue of comfort to be important. I used cloth diapers for my son 33yrs ago. Menstrual cycles seldom last more than a week and todays shaped, self-stick pads are a lot more comfortable than yesteryears' rectangular pads and sanitary belt combination. No need to ask me how I know, I'll tell you I've been there and done that. If you ever HAD to use the sanitary napkin/belt comb you probably think todays pad selections are a vast improvement, if you never HAD to use them today's choices are probably an archaic torture. It's all a matter of perspective.
BTW, ya'll may be interested in reading the book "The Red Tent". Okay, now I'll sit back and wait for the next postings.

DeniseP

I would not use bleach to wash them as bleach could irritate your skin and who would want a rash there at that time of the month????
When my children were babies I used cloth diapers and always soaked them in cold water and borax. Borax is a natural deodorizer and whitener so my cloth diapers were always white no matter how many times they were washed and the kids rarely had rashes.

MadQuilter

I had totally forgotten about that lovely combo. Yes, it was particularly dependable and did not show at all. ROFL . My mom was very frugal so when she switched to the disposable pad, it was the abrasive cotton brick.

Quite a while ago, a friend at work talked me into trying "the cup" - it's really like a girl's catcher's mit. Only I was never good at sports. Going in - not a problem - but by the time I had extracted the device, my bathroom looked like a small animal had been sacrificed to the menstrual god. lol

thismomquilts

This whole conversation has amazed me on many different levels. I say if one wants to do this then she should... I would do it but do not need them anymore... wish I'd known about it when I did need them.