Parenting

Mom Admits to Swimming Without a Tampon During Her Period & People Are Seeing Red

ParentingPublished May 24, 2018
By Maressa Brown
mom and baby in pooliStock.com/Alija

With summer just around the corner, moms everywhere are prepping for days spent poolside with their little ones. Yep, even those days when you're bloaty, crampy, and dealing with your good ol' period. After all, if you want to get in the pool while you're menstruating, all you need to do is wear a tampon, right? Maybe, maybe not. Debate around that very question recently popped up in a Mumsnet.com thread.

A mom took to the message board to share that her sister told her it's "vile" to swim while she has her period.-placeholder
A mom took to the message board to share that her sister told her it's "vile" to swim while she has her period.
Mumsnet.com

A mom took to the message board to share that her sister told her it's "vile" to swim while she has her period.

The anonymous mom explained that she swims weekly with her partner and child but when she told her sister she went in without a tampon, the two butted heads over what's considered appropriate. The poster's friend also weighed in and said it doesn't matter. "I did go swimming as my period was pretty much over (day 5),” the poster clarified. “Would I swim whilst heavy? I would say no I wouldn’t ... Are there actually any rules about it? Would a tampon be suitable if you did want to swim?”

In response, commenters said it's NBD if this mom wants to swim, of course, but just wear a tampon...-placeholder
In response, commenters said it's NBD if this mom wants to swim, of course, but just wear a tampon...
Mumsnet.com

In response, commenters said it's NBD if this mom wants to swim, of course, but just wear a tampon...

img-of-media-slide-233819-placeholder
img-of-media-slide-233819
Mumsnet.com

But one commenter jumped in to say that she doesn't wear a tampon because cold water stops your period. Wait, what?-placeholder
But one commenter jumped in to say that she doesn't wear a tampon because cold water stops your period. Wait, what?
Mumsnet.com

But one commenter jumped in to say that she doesn't wear a tampon because cold water stops your period. Wait, what?

Another poster pointed out that this is a myth.-placeholder
Another poster pointed out that this is a myth.
Mumsnet.com

Another poster pointed out that this is a myth.

Sure, some women may feel like their period stops when they get in the water (be it a pool, bath, or the ocean), but Vice.com's Tonic clarified the science: "It's not that you stop bleeding," Jessica Shepherd, professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and U by Kotex Partner, told the site. "It's more that there's pressure to stop blood from flowing out."

All this debate prompted the original poster to pop back in and clarify that she was talking about going tampon-free toward the end of her period.-placeholder
All this debate prompted the original poster to pop back in and clarify that she was talking about going tampon-free toward the end of her period.
Mumsnet.com

All this debate prompted the original poster to pop back in and clarify that she was talking about going tampon-free toward the end of her period.

If she was in the middle of her period, contending with normal or heavy flow, she wouldn't forgo the tampon, she explained.

That said, it's understandable that she attracted eyebrow-raising with her original question. And hopefully she'll consider the responses she got the next time she hits the pool!

menstruation
Cafemom Logo
This is motherhood #nofilter

AboutTermsContactPrivacyPRIVACY SETTINGSSUBMIT A STORY
© 2024 WILD SKY MEDIA.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PART OF WILD SKY MEDIA
| FAMILY & PARENTING
CAFEMOMMAMÁSLATINAS
LITTLETHINGSMOM.COM
This site is owned and operated by Bright Mountain Media, Inc., a publicly owned company trading with the symbol: BMTM.