to think that I just got one of the best presents ever?

[ButterpieBride]

A friend just popped round with a present to celebrate that I had started my periods again after having the baby :D

I was sulking about it, and now I am grinning from ear to ear :)

She sometimes comes on here, so, hi if you are reading this, and THANKYOU.

This is an actual milestone, and I now feel that it has been acknowledged. Ace.

Now, time to break out the mooncup...

Was the present a mooncup?

Nope, I have one already. It was a red bag containing the vagina monologues book, some chocolate, a candle in a red holder and some nice shower gel stuff. And she lent me some zines as well.

I want to adopt her as my big sister :)

Mooncup?

Can I just say, yuk?
I'm bracing myself for a flaming (and hopefully an explanantion of why they're nothing like yuk)

Securus
No flaming, as they don't suit everyone, and I had the same instinctive reaction.

Once I had taken the leap, I quickly learned that it was hygienic, easy to use, practical and so much more pleasant than tampons or pads. Especially at the start or end of my period.

Well...what do you do when you have a period? There is no more contact with your own blood than if you used a tampon. Except you are not shoving a bleached wad of cotton up there and leaving it to soak up all your vital secretions while it is there.

Plus...it IS your own body, doing a normal function. Presumably you use your vagina for sex and so on, so you aren't somehow traumatised about touching it...

Least you've got it now and not in a few weeks time :)

And can I just say, that you have a thoughtful friend, ButterpieBride.

I'm just hoping to avoid the teeth celnching dragging you get when you accidentally use a tampon that is too big for your flow. Urgh. Goes right through me. Also I hated getting thrush every time I had a period.

I'm going to give it a go anyway, if it doesn't suit then my next step is washable pads, then I might try a sponge. I have high hopes for mooncups though.

My friend actually does rule. She has advised me on breastfeeding, she is the only person I know IRL who is an actual, real life, feminist mother.

Lol, can I have a disclaimer that I am on the first day of my first period for over a year, so may be a little bit emotional?

And Juneybean...yes, my thoughts exactly, I knew it was coming, and was getting a little worried about a big red stain on the back of my wedding dress :)

that's...err...nice.

I think I'd have preferred a box of Milk Tray.

Have just googled mooncups with SIL and we both think 'eeeek' and 'yuk' and how can it possibly work?

How big is it?

If you lie flat to go to sleep does it leak?

Sorry if ewww is not right but I just cannot get my head round it!

... Im a feminist mother... sulks

your friend sounds lovely :) congratulations on the period :)

FWIW I got mine today lol but I use tampons, haven't taken the leap to the mooncup yet, let me know how it works out?

I am a feminist mother. Bet you know more than you think.

MC rule.

I bought mine a couple of years ago

I think I am still stuck in the mindset of my old town, where there were maybe two or three people I could talk to about periods, breastfeeding, etc without lots of blushes and nods "down there" etc, and I was seen as very very odd for not always shaving under my arms and so on.

I am now breastfeeding in a big red cape and eating chocolate, then I am going to go and investgate the mooncup.

They look like they should be really uncomfortable and I think that you'd be brave to swim with one.

That said I hate tampons and sanitary tampons.

Butterpie I am also full of disgust for the occasional mistakes re flow/tampon size and bouts of thrush. You'd think you'd learn about your own body but despite almost a quarter of a century dealing with my periods I still don't always get it right.

I think you should give me your testimony.
Also, have a lovely wedding day.

Sanitary towels (I mean!)

Celebrating menstruation is so weird to me. It's like celebrating digestion.

After pregnancy fairycake, good digestion is to be celebrated . I don't miss swigging Gaviscon from the bottle at all.

You have a lovely friend OP.

There'll be cards at Clintons next 'Congratulations on re-starting your period.......'

Anyway, back to mooncups - what happens when you are in a public loo and want to wash it - do you just take it out to the basin in front of everybody?

(Genuine question!)

Stupid question, but when can I expect to get my period after DD (5 months)? Still EBF but planning to cut down to morning and evening feeds when I go back to work next month. Sorry to hijack, and congrats

Mooncup. OMG. Never heard of such a thing. Just looked it up.

Surely I would have heard of it if it works?

(surely insertion and removal is vv messy? You wouldn't want to be anywhere but your own bathroom to do this??)

I'm down to two feeds and still no period.... so I'm hijacking too tartymcfarty when do they restart??

Congrats! No-one did that for me.

FionaSH and TartyMcFarty - count yourselves lucky! DS not yet 6mo, still EBF and I've had 2 already. I feel cheated. It's not that they were heavy or painful or anything, but I was VERY hormonal and got greasy hair and spots just like being a teenager all over again.

Off to google mooncup......

mooncups are fab - not messy, they don't hurt, or leak - they are clean, comfortable and hold more blood than an extra large tampon

LOL @ "Surely I would have heard of it if it works?"

you HAVE heard of it, now, but you don't want to believe it works
sorry we didn't inform you personally sooner

OP you have a good friend!