How to make your own reusable nursing pads

I love these pads. As a nursing mother, I got tired of buying the expensive boxes of nursing pads that are good for one use and then tossed in the garbage, only to wind up in a landfill. These pads are great, because not only are they pretty, but they can be laundered over and over again with the rest of your clothes. I like to use an inner cotton layer, which allows skin to breathe and prevents sensitive skin from sticking and an outer flannel layer, which is soft and reminds me which side goes against my skin.

For your nursing pads, you need the following materials:
*Piece of cotton fabric measuring at least 5"x10"
*An old bath towel, or a piece of microfiber cloth
*Sewing machine and thread
*Scissors
*A drinking glass with a diameter at least 4"
*Piece of PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric (optional, but I like to use to create a waterproof layer)


Instructions:
1. Spread out your fabric right side down.
2. Using a pen, draw an outline around your overturned drinking glass, making a total of four circles.
3. Repeat same procedure for your microfiber and PUL fabric, making two circles of each.
4. Using scissors, cut about 1 cm away from your outline on each circle, as shown. You should have a total of six circles.
5. Now, make your fabric sandwich. Create your layers as follows: one fabric circle (right side up), one fabric circle (right side down), one microfiber circle, and one PUL circle (marked side up).
6. Sew your layers together around your marked outline, stopping about one inch from your starting point.
7. Cut around your circle to clean up edges, leaving some uncut fabric in between your starting and stopping point for later.
8. Insert fingers through opening and turn fabric inside out.
9. Fold the excess fabric inward and pin to close up your opening.
10. Sew closely around outer edges of nursing pad.

And you're done! Pads will initially be slightly misshapen, but will regain their circular shape after ironing. If you are using PUL in your pads, take care when ironing as the PUL could potentially melt if overheated.