Well its happened

[cher062]

Ok it's finally happened. My 13 yo DD got her first period last night at 10pm. She was a nervous wreck. Yes we had the talk and we are very open about discussing all of this. Several of her friends have had their for over a year now so she knows the details of things. But I Had to re-show her how to use everything. she was totally grossed out with the whole idea of using a tampon so that isn't happening for awhile.

today she wanted to stay home from gym which I let her do and we went and got nails done instead. hey first day of being a woman needs nice nails and of course some ice cream after LOL.

I did explain to her that she will have to go tomorrow because your life doesn't go on hold just because of this. She said ok but is nervous because 1/2 way through they let the girls go swimming which she doesn't not want to do, but it's been Sooooo Hot not to go and get cooled off will be hard (we are having a heat wave and 90 - 100 has been a reg temp and I have the brown grass to prove it).

I told her I would explain things to her coach so there won't be any pressure and every girl on the team (with the exception of 2 others ) is 14 - 17 yo so they know exactly what your going through and could give you some suggestions. OH NO she was mortified that someone other than her and I should know about this. I explained that her coach (yes she is a woman) should be aware that this is your first period so she will know why you may be going to the bathroom often or might be having cramps etc. So she agreed to that but in no way is her dad or brother or anyone else to know - OK folks remember this is a secret Shhhhhh don't tell anyone.

Ok Moms of older girls I'm open to suggestions

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Well mum of of a younger girl so can't offer much advice except that I can clearly remember, that despite the talk, despite the openess from my mum, despite my friends already having experienced the same thing ... I was still horrified by the thought that anyone else may find out when it happened to me!

I think the nails and icecream was a lovely idea to mark the occasion. Lots of cuddles and understanding, this is a confusing time for young girls.
Just on the tampon issue, when she gets over being grossed out, ky jelly or any other type of lubricant helps with insertion.

 

[Granny Smith]

Congratulations or should I say "oh no!" My dd hasn't gotten hers yet, she will be 14 in September, but it does happen to all girls at some point. I hope she decides to go swimming at some point (maybe not this "time") but like you said life doesn't stop just because you have your period!

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

Congrats to your daughter! Tell her it's pretty easy to go through even a 4 or 5 hour practice once you get the hang of it! (I'm sure she'd be mortified if she knew you were posting about her!) I'm glad you let her have a fun day off, but here's a warning: there's a Chinese myth that eating ice cream or being in cold places while you're on your period gives you cramps. My Chinese friends swear that it's true. However, I've never experienced it myself so perhaps it's just something to ponder!

 

[cher062]

Congrats to your daughter! Tell her it's pretty easy to go through even a 4 or 5 hour practice once you get the hang of it! (I'm sure she'd be mortified if she knew you were posting about her!) I'm glad you let her have a fun day off, but here's a warning: there's a Chinese myth that eating ice cream or being in cold places while you're on your period gives you cramps. My Chinese friends swear that it's true. However, I've never experienced it myself so perhaps it's just something to ponder!

LOL well ice cream in my house is the 5th food group right up there with chocolate LOL We eat it even in the coldest of winter.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I love the way you handled it by letting her take the day off to figure things out and have some women time. But you are right, she has to figure out gymnastics and her period. My daughter is 9 and I am really hoping I have a long time before having to deal with this.
Jennifer

 

[gymnastgirlz10]

congrats! tell her that after the first time it really is nothing. you can so used to it that you almost forget its there (until you go to the bathroom..) lol but her teammates and coaches have all been there or will be there soon enough so there is nothing to be afraid of and hey, atleast she didn't get it DURING practice like me

 

[tumblerK]

I got ice cream for my first too even though it was 10 o'clock on a school night

A book with instructions and pictures might be more help for tampons rather than hearing a description from mom. I had a book like that and I loaned it to a couple friends who were scared to use tampons when we started swimming in school... I was the opposite. I preferred to use a tampon at age 12 than go to school and not swim in gym class because then everyone would know!

 

[flippinlolly]

At 16 I finally got mine in April and even though I'm much older and it's much easier to deal with it was still scary. I love the ice cream and nails idea, a great way to take her mind off it! I agree with the book idea for getting used to tampons, it's certainly easier to study it for longer and get a better idea than to have to think in great detail about what your mum's trying to describe to you when it's just a little bit embarrasing I actually found a good website (sorry I can't remember what it was) and it had pictures and animations and probably the best bit: a troubleshooting guide for if it's not working! It gave lots of tips for you to try if you couldn't get the tampon in and really helps you figure it out so maybe try searching the internet Along with that I'd just keep up the reassuring her that every woman goes through it One of my friends told me that when she first got hers at a similar age to your daughter she was really selfconscious about it and didn't even want to go to school in case people "guessed". Hr mum took her to the cinema to watch a movie and made her guess how many women were in the cinema. She then said that about a quarter of the women in there would have their period at that time and made my friend work out how many that was. Apparently it just made her so much more aware of the fact that everyone really does go through it

 

[duganjorb]

Hey Cher, my dd went through this event about a year & half ago. She was doing diving as a side sport to her normal gym club and unfortunatly she was having a diving meet in a few days so staying out of the water wasn't an option sorry to say. She bucked up and wore a tampon but it wasn't a fabo experience. However she's handled gym practice exceptionally well wearing pads. Bootie shorts (especially black ones) has been part of her normal practice outfits since she started. I think she only missed practice one time due to camps and such. For a few months I kept track of when she would start. The she told me she had it under control and that she had it as an "event" on her cell phone calendar. Your DD will take it in stride in a very short amount of time. Keeping active keeps the pain down along with the occasional asprin.

 

[gymnastgirlz10]

The she told me she had it under control and that she had it as an "event" on her cell phone calendar. Your DD will take it in stride in a very short amount of time. Keeping active keeps the pain down along with the occasional asprin.

i do that too! haha i put it in my phone as a reminder cause i tend to loose track haha

 

[kristilyn73]

Hi Cher!

DD is 14 and got hers in February, the day before a meet! I called her coach and let her know. I reminded her to wear a dark colored leo and also shorts (even through it was a Friday and normally Friday's are no shorts days).

I bought her both a thin pad and a box of tampons. She didnt like the idea of tampons but I told her they were there, just incase she wanted to try them. Now, 5 months later she told me she has been using them and likes them. Just having them available without the pressure I think was enough for her to try and see.

The only other thing that Beetle struggles with is back pain. She gets her cramps in her back. That makes beam a little hard for a day or so. She takes a couple Advil, ices it and takes a bath with Lavender oil. That helps relax the muscles.

Good luck! I hope you enjoyed the Icecream and Nail day!

 

[gymnut1]

She is all growing up now. She will cope well Im sure. Good luck to her and you at getting through the first few in one piece!

 

[maddiekate]

I saw this on gymnastic coaching and thought I would stop by for a second. I got my period for the first time in college at age 18 a few months after I quit gymnastics. I tried pads first, but threw the box away and went to tampons after the first one. I still do tumbling and coach middle school gymnastics once a week. I use advil and heat for cramps and pain. I think because I got it at an older age, it was a lot easier to deal with. Plus, I didn't have to tell my mother, which I think would be really awkward.

 

[Galadriel]

My DD got hers age 15 on the morning of a competition when we were in a hotel room at 7am! We didnt have anything with us, and i drove to a high street nearby where i found a small newsagent open and bought tampons and pads - she was very cool about it thank god, and wore a tampon from the start as it was a competition day and shorts were not an option!!

 

[bogwoppit]

This thread is now closed. For future reference please check out this thread.

http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/chalk-bucket/29979-all-about-periods.html

If you have any good educational articles to add, or to link, just PM me and I will add them in.