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Being a Mom and Using a Cup

  • Writer: Maria Vincic Erika Harris
    Maria Vincic Erika Harris
  • Feb 7, 2021
  • 4 min read

Updated: Feb 8, 2021

At first glance one would think that these two things have nothing to do with each other...WRONG! Those of us lucky enough to be a part of this club called motherhood know that it permeates every part of your life. While that may sound scary to all the future moms, it shouldn’t. It simply means that once you become a mom it changes you and most of us would argue the change is for the better. I try not to speak for others but this is one of those things that see to be unanimous. Even the people who weren’t necessarily on board in the beginning have been won over by their new role.





Dishes, Laundry, Vacuum...Empty Cup!


Not only are moms tasked with the daily chores of maintaining a household, they have also signed up to raise a human being. On any day raising a human being is a tall order, but when you factor in the other demanding items things quickly start to add up. That once achievable “to-do list” suddenly becomes daunting and your forced to choose between sanity and a mental breakdown (neither of which option includes accomplishing the to-do list). Depending on the intensity of your flow, this allows for several opportunities to forget about your hard-working menstrual cup! Yep, that’s right. That mighty little, relatively speaking, silicone creation is diligently doing its job so that you can live your life unbothered. So, at the hour that you begin to feel the infamous “bubbling” or you just know it’s time is just when a mom could be too tied up to empty her cup.


Nothing to See Here Folks, Move Along!


As a mom to two toddlers there is always an audience. No matter what I’m doing someone is watching. When I only had one kiddo this was a bit unnerving and was the source of a lot of my stress since I’m naturally an introvert. Now being two-kids deep, I’m used to it and actually feel weird when I get a minute to myself. Having said that, emptying my cup is no exception. It’s like clock-work, as soon as I sneak away to handle my business here comes the pitter patter of little feet to do their normal check-up “Mommy what ’cha doing?” If I’ve snuck away soon enough and I’m wearing the right cup that month, by the time I have to answer this question I am just finishing up and get to flush the toilet before there are any witnesses to scene of the crime (if you know what I mean).


However, as luck usually has it I am wearing a cup that has migrated north beyond my reach so I am alternating between squatting on the floor and sitting on the edge of the toilet to reach the stem. This is where a mom must get creative. Sometimes I can get away with a distraction like “Go check on your dad” or “Can you find that pretty drawing you made me?” Other times they make me work for it, especially my youngest. These are the times that they notice my underwear around my ankles and my hands are occupied. If it is early enough in the day I just abort the mission, pull up my underwear and put off changing my cup for the time being. However, when it’s late or it’s already been more than 12 hours I stay the course and just say as little as possible while trying not to draw too much attention to what I’m doing. Luckily my kids have seen my cups and aren’t intrigued too much by them anymore. Though they are caught off guard when they see me actually using the cup since they haven’t quite figured out how all that works — I know it’s coming but we’re not there yet!


My solution when nothing else works is pure deflection. I ask them about their day and whatever they were doing before I slipped away. Those of you with older or just plain curious kids will have to come up with something more advanced. The only advice I have is to not be dramatic. Kids tend to be less interested in ordinary mundane things in life. Make it seem as routine as possible, which is honestly what it is, routine.


I’ve Had a Kid (or Two), Do I Need a Larger Size Menstrual Cup?


Unfortunately no one knows. I didn’t start using a cup until after I had my second kid. Most cups suggested the larger size so that’s what I used. Since then I have met people who were able to use the small size even after giving birth to one or multiple children. You will likely hear conflicting advice on which size cup a mom should use. No one can tell you what will work for your body. Use the advice as a guide; it may suit you and and it may not. In my case, the larger cups work great. The wider diameter seems to give my cervix the coverage it needs to keep me from experiencing leaks. I tried using smaller cups and concluded they weren’t a good fit. My cervix is high and small cups are harder to remove. Although my flow is not heavy I enjoy the convenience of wearing the larger size and maximizing my time between emptying.


Besides becoming a mother, using a menstrual cup has been the most empowering thing I’ve done. I have done a lot of things in life that have made me feel good about myself but there is something about knowing each month I don’t have to alter my lifestyle just because of my period. Using a cup gives me convenience. That’s pretty valuable as a mom.



DISCLAIMER: The term mom does not exclusively apply to individuals who have birthed children. I realize that a mom is also someone who has adopted or otherwise taken under their care a child (or even a pet). This narrative was written from an inclusive perspective so anything perceived contrary to that notion was not intentional. Thanks for reading!


Yours sincerely,

Erika


To read more on how to choose a menstrual cup check out our post titled: I Want to Try a Cup! Now What?!

To explore a discussion on why a menstrual cup is a good choice, check out the post Do I Need a Menstrual Cup?


Ready to purchase a menstrual cup, visit our store.

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