Helena Vestergaard, model and proud mother, speaks with us openly about creating a conscious and sustainable home, what she wishes she knew about periods growing up and why period undies and endless cups of chamomile tea are her go-to comforts for feeling good on her period (despite a huge to-do list).
Helena shares how she will empower, educate and celebrate periods with her daughter when the times comes and that "it’s totally normal and ok to cry or scream or lay in bed and eat chocolate with a hot water bottle". "For a young woman I believe this is the most vulnerable stage of life and they need as much positive empowerment and guidance as we can give them."
On Post-Birth Perioding...
Well after birth you usually bleed for a week or so and everything down there is kind of a ride off for a couple weeks anyway. But everyone is different, I have a friend who bled for 6 weeks after birth and another who bled for 2 days. It also depends on whether or not you are breast feeding. It’s very rare to menstruate whilst you are breast feeding. I only got my first period when I stopped, and it was awful. I quite enjoyed not getting it but I wanted to have another baby, so I needed to get my cycle going again :)
On what you'd known about your cycle growing up…
Oh, so many things! but mainly I wish someone would have told me how much it would affect my mood. I get crazy hormonal the week before and my whole constitution shifts into a very fragile being, or as my husband would say "you just turn into a psycho". I wish there was more talk and support towards the emotional side of cycles, I only realised when I was older that part of my terrible mood swings where due to my periods.
On the environment and the future for your kids…
I think that’s a huge topic to battle, I try to have the least amount of negative impact on the environment and teach my kids how to be sustainable and about recycling. Its scary to think of where our planet could end up if we keep disposing of everything into land fill so it’s really important to educate children about this stuff. You can make it fun when they are young too as to not scare them, like getting a worm farm and making games out of where to put different recycling and waste :)
On the conscious choices you practise everyday…
It definitely makes it hard being a menstruating women and a mother when it comes to this as we have tampons, pads, nappies and all the plastic waste that can come with having children! But luckily these days there are really good other options out there. If I’m working then I use my Scarlet Cup, if I’m just at home with my period I wear the Boyshorts - they are so comfy and sometimes you just don’t want to bother with sticking something in there haha. But with general waste we only use beeswax wraps and stainless-steel lunchboxes, reusable water bottles and coffee cups. I love shopping at op shops for literally everything too. There is something so special to me about the hidden treasures you can find.
On how you get by and feel good on your period…
I actually have my period right now writing this and I am in my Boyshorts with a big cup of chamomile tea. I always find for me warm things are best, a hot bath, sipping on warm water, and snuggling in bed, but most the time there is a huge to do list so I’m getting around doing to washing, cleaning the kitchen, writing my emails in comfy baggy clothes with my period undies on drinking a million cups of tea and trying not to eat a 10 blocks of chocolate a day haha.
