When I began experiencing urinary incontinence after the birth of my first child, I reacted like most women do, with a mix of embarrassment and weary resignation.
I always knew there was a possibility it could happen to me, so the first time I sprung a postpartum leak I made a beeline for my bathroom sink. My trusty Always maxi pads were still crammed in the back of the cabinet, where they had been since before I became pregnant.
Although I didn’t need the big guns that I had needed during my period, I remained loyal to my brand. And I replaced my maxi pads for some mini pads. Or more accurately, for the Always Xtra Protection liners. They were an inexpensive insurance policy, protecting my clothes (and my pride), from any real damage while my body continued to adjust to all of the changes having a baby had created.
One day while playing with my daughter, and silently musing about the irony that we were both frequently in need of a change, it occurred to me that there may be another option out there for me.
In an effort to try and reduce the carbon footprint raising a child creates, we had foregone disposable diapers in favor of reusable cloth diapers. Maybe I was missing an opportunity to make another environmentally conscious change by switching to reusable cloth pads (sometimes called “mama cloth.”)
One Etsy search later, and I had my cloth pads.
I tried both approaches for a few months. There were definitely benefits and drawbacks for each of them.
The disposable maxi pads were effortless. Other than making sure I had them on hand, I really didn’t have to do anything with them. I could toss a few in the diaper bag and be on my way. When I was through with them, I just pitched them in the trash, the end.
With cloth pads, there was a little more effort involved. I was already doing diaper laundry, so it was easy enough to just toss them in with that load of wash. There was no real extra care needed for them. Provided I had clean ones available, cloth pads could also just be tossed into the diaper bag. Changing them out in public was where the complications arose. Where disposable pads could just be tossed, used cloth pads had to be placed in a wet bag (a special bag designed to hold wet and soiled garments for transportation), and carried around with me until I returned home to put them in the hamper or washer.
The cloth pads were cheaper, other than a small upfront cost of about $30, there were no recurring costs. Maxi pad cost varies by brand and location but could run up to $20 a month.
As for comfort, physically the cloth was more comfortable. It was a breathable fabric that felt no different than wearing underwear (there is a thin layer of breathable plastic liner in the cloth pads that prevents leaks).
Emotionally, the disposable pads were a bigger comfort. I knew from my years using them during my period that they were unlikely to fail me when I needed them most. I had no such faith in the cloth.
Maxi Pads also come with an odor neutralizing agent inside of them. If you have ever been in a poorly ventilated public restroom, you know urine can smell. I always felt a bit self concious that I smelled like said poorly ventilated public restroom when I wore the cloth (although my closest friends and family assured me that wasn’t the case).
By the time I gave birth to my second child I had given up on cloth diapers. The extra loads of wash proved to be too much to keep up with while pregnant and raising a spirited toddler.
I never did end up going back to the cloth diapers after having fallen in love with the convenience of disposables. And when the postpartum leaking returned along with the birth of my new baby, I dug back under the bathroom sink once more for my trusty disposable pads.
The convenience, the confidence — the environment will just have to forgive me. Having two small children at home, keeping up on the laundry is a job unto itself. The ease of not having to worry about an extra step with disposable maxi pads outweighs my worries about our carbon footprint. At least until the kids are out of diapers!
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