Moon Times © Testimonials

A huge thank you, the pads arrived this morning. They were beautifully packaged, like receiving a present. You have been very kind and very helpful with all my emails. I had been looking for a while for a decent alternative to conventional pads/tampons, ever since using washable nappies for my children. It seemed hypocritical to be trying to live as green a lifestyle as possible, but still putting pads in the bin. I did a couple of searches through Google and came across an article of yours on Self Sufficientish. There were links to your web site there.

I found a few places selling washable pads, but I was drawn to yours as the whole site felt far more personal, and I agreed with a lot of the things you had written.
I have passed your information on to a couple of like minded friends of mine, if that's ok! Thanks again Rachael, from a very happy customer. Kate, Oxfordshire

Just to thank you very much for the cloth pads, which arrived a couple of weeks ago. They're fab! Very carefully made, comfortable to wear and easy to use. Emily, London

I used Moon Times© pads following treatment for pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I bled a lot for about 6 weeks and the Moon Times© pads had no trouble coping with it. I had no leaks on my clothes and the pads are so easy to wash and quick to dry. They are fab and I recommend them! Lisa, Bristol

I use both your pads and a moon cup on heavy days, as since I have polycystic ovaries I have a very heavy flow. I find both products fantastic!! Thanks for setting me free!! Mary, Exeter

I was surprised at how comfortable they were, much better than disposable pads. They felt cosy and secure and felt like I was giving my 'lady bits' a special treat with the fun patterns rather than the boring, medical style sanitary protection. Sarah, Bristol

Using your pads even at night when flow can be heavy reminded me how cloth pads prevent blood flowing onto the sheets (can happen at night with disposable pads), and also feel much more comfy. I think they're great and trying them is the best way to find that out! Dominique, Bristol

When I was fifteen years old, I developed anorexia nervosa and over the next three years I was hospitalised four times. It was absolute hell, I cannot possibly describe it to you, I will say though that I have never felt so unsafe, so violated and so abandoned in my life, and hope I never will again. One of the first things I decided at this time was that as long as I wasn't menstruating, everything was okay, I couldn't be too fat and therefore life was manageable. I lost my periods quite quickly and they rapidly became this enormously fearful concept the idea of their reappearance signified failure to me and must never ever happen. There were times, during fleeting moments of wondering what life might be like if I weren't stuck in this hell, when I considered the possibility of allowing my periods to return.

This was so incredibly scary and I searched for a way to make it seem less terrifying. I came across Moon Times©. I bought a set of these beautiful creations and over the next few years I would sometimes find myself taking them out of the cupboard, looking at them, and thinking 'it would be really quite nice to be able to use these.' It was a shocking thought and scared me in itself! I could see that they were so beautiful and that until I allowed myself to become a woman, I would never have the opportunity to use them.

It wasn't until I was twenty, when I was diagnosed with osteopenia (from the lack of oestrogen caused by lack of menses for four years) that my first period came back. I have to admit, I did not take it well. I felt disgusting, repulsive. Fat. Like a woman. A fully grown, fully functioning woman. (Hence) a failed anorexic. I took blades to my flesh worse than I had done for months, years, since the last hospital admission. And this continued. Every month it came I would silently promise myself 'this will not happen again.' I.e. I would lose weight and get rid of them again. Be clean again. Be worth something again.

It's a year on, I'm about to turn twenty-one, and I still bleed every month (though I have to confess that I have tried desperately to stop it at times). I've recently been looking into methods of contraception for the first time seriously and when the nurse told me that I could have a progesterone coil which would most probably stop my bleeding altogether; I thought 'give it to me now!' My appointment to have it fitted is in two days time and I am now having second thoughts.

I read a heart-warming section from 'Eating in the Light of the Moon' about our 'Moontime' and I had a bizarre (to me) thought, I said to myself 'why on earth would I want to stop my bleeding?! This is my right as a woman. This is the most fundamental aspect of being a woman. It allows me to be aware of myself, of my body, of my emotional needs and of my connection to the earth. My bleeding and my cycle are what make me different from men, it's what makes women these complex creatures, mystical and magical, curvy rather than straight!' I thought 'if I'm going to be a woman, if I'm going to look like a woman, I'll bloody well be a real one! If I want to get rid of my periods, I'll do it with anorexia; I will become a little girl again. But as long as I remain a woman, I will embrace it.' So I have decided not to have this coil fitted. My beautiful Moon Times© were destined to be banished to the back of the cupboard again. No longer am I going to ignore my blood and my nature as a woman (my repulsion at my breasts is the next challenge, which is a much bigger one).

Thank you for giving me part of a reason to attempt woman-hood. The whole thing would be so much more distressing if I were to have to shove some 'dry wad of cotton' up me and pretend that nothing's happening. I have decided to share a poem which I wrote one night when I was bleeding. I was lying in bed with my boyfriend, but felt compelled to get up and write. It is called Dirty Blood.

Dirty Blood
(2007)

As I bleed, she screams at me:
I have failed.
I have let my body take over,
My greed.

I am now a woman;
Shame. On me.

Banish them again she screams.
Out of sight.
And I, too, will be out of sight.

I will have proven myself,
In the most dramatic way;
I will disappear,
The world will no longer have to suffer me.

This is not like the beautiful blood
I draw from myself with razor blades.
This is not me in control,
But my body taking over.

I want to feel clean;
But I feel dirty.

Triona, Bristol

What a FAB product! The design is better thank other cloth pads I have tried, I'll be ordering more! Kelly, Liverpool

I've been using cloth pads for a few years now I really am grateful for the meaningful work you do - educating women and supplying your Moon Times©. I'm happy to promote and support such a wonderful product! Rachel, London

Dear Rachael, I met you at the Create Centre Xmas Fair and bought one of your pads- they are so wonderful, comfy and soft, I'm back to order a while set.. Bleeding on to cloth is such a luxury, I'm finally enjoying my period and I feel I now 'get' what all this Women's Wisdom stuff is about! Kay, Bristol

I don't know how I would do without Moon Times© for my Moon Time! Steph, Manchester

I have been using cloth pads for years now and the move away from tampons changed my experience of menstruating completely. I stopped having cramps and stopped worrying about TSS. My sister introduced me to your design and I will never buy anything else again. (I even look forward to my period so that I can wear them.) Thanks. Michelle London

I've just started to use your pads, amazingly I don't have cramps today, and my bleeding is much lighter, it's a miracle! Hailey, Reading

I used my Moon Times© panty liners for the first time last week and enjoyed the light airiness and softness of them. Catriona, Carmarthenshire