dd9 started her periods today, i am a bit surprised! she is only my little one.

[piratecat]

I am not totally shocked, but it still seems so young. She began with her boobs hurting alot at 8, then pubes started about 6 months ago.

I thought i saw a little brownish stain at the front of her pants a few weeks ago, and we talked about it and i got her a nice little book which we read together.

It was such a surprise when she called down from the loo, I was more shocked becuase i could hear the panic in her voice. Then she ha a cry, bless her.
It was all so new, talking to her about hygiene, and how she is going to change her pads at school. She tells me there are no sanitary type bins in the toilets, only a handtowel bin.

She has dealt with so so much in her little life, with her dad. Mumsnet has been here all the way thru, and its unreal that i am not posting this tbh!!

She isn't even dry at night yet, so not altogether sure how this is going to work with pads, and drynites .

Is very pleased she gets to bunk off swimming tomorrow tho.

have been looking at the Home ed pages today, dreaming of the pressure being off.!!

Feminax have a young adult section - I know she isnt a young adult yet but it does have tips on coping with pain and answers some questions. Site here

Mine started just before I was 10 and I hated them! One thing that really helped was wearing 2 pairs of knickers. Sounds odd but I felt more secure that the pad wouldn't fall out and also better about leaks. I went on the pill at 15 as I couldn't cope with the pain, vomiting, flooding etc. I must be mad as I have now come back off the pill. Forgot how horrible that familiar flooding feel is and being scared to stand up!

ok, we have had a literally crap development.
For the last 24 hours she has also been leaking softish poo into her pants.

Has no feeling of wanting to go, or of it happening. I feel it's a regression, because she is not coping with this.

Period is still heavy day 5. i am quite upset tbh. I don't know much about poo.

Oh no :( poor thing.

Time to go to the doctor after all then I guess?

pc Is she constipated? Id definately see the dr tomorrow,there is a relation between all that in some cases.Poor little thing. I had the talk with dd after seeing this thread.

hmm, could be constipated. hasn't gone much the last few days, so it backs up doesn't it?

yes and she will bypass fluid or very soft pooh. I can recall having lots of bowell issues when i started and also a reluctance to go to the loo ad see the vile pad of blood so that maybe why shes been reluctant to go.God its such a shame isnt it? I think a chat with a lady dr is in order,have you any lactulose or suchlike? Orange juice and a warm bath?
At least she has you,imagine some little girls who live with dad or in care or just with a crap Mum

ledkr, thankyou for your responses.

I want her to go to school tomorrow, but she has just had yet another bright red fresh bleed and its hurting. poor bloody kid.

The gp can give her something to help settle it down,im sure it will do on its own soon enough.
It very early days but i remember feeling a whole lot better when i could use a tampon,i could just forget about it then.I managed to use one at about 13 i think but i did ballet and needed to wear a leotard for an exam,
I hope shes able to go to school tomorrow.

Poor little love. I wouldn't send her to school tomorrow. I know she's had a lot of time off and you have issues with the school, but she can't go if she's in pain and is having period & poo problems. I agree that you are probably going to need to take her to the Doctors.

Ledkr - I know - it doesn't bare thinking about does it!

piratecat you are such a lovely mum, hearing what your dd is going through makes me want to cry. She can't go to school at the moment, and if school don't like it they can lump it. I would see the GP tomorrow but also phone the school and explain what's going on and ask for work to do at home. I have found in the past that if you make it clear that you are are as concerned as they are about work missed they tend to bow down and be more reasonable. I also would not her back until you can be sure that there is a proper sanitary bin inside one of the cubicles for her to use. I hope things get easier for your dd.

i did this, kept asking for work when she was off with her hip problem. They kept saying don't worry, she can catch up, she's bright etc.. (she is G&T-not a boast btw) then a few months later i got dragged in for a meeting with the EWO and was made to feel like crap.
'don't you know she's missing out' to which i said don't you think i know that. and 'what are you going to do to ensure she gets to school' to which i said 'well if she is very ill or pain what do you want me to do'

anyway, so, this is all going on in my head right now, and all i want to do is de register her if the next year is going to be a fight, whilst every month we have this on top of it all.

I have been strong, and i know it's not about me, it's her pain, her period, but right now i feel overwhelmed and stressed.

i do have an appointment with the gp today. She was in agony last night. I am hoping there must be something they can give her, but when she was in severe pain with here hip, they said there is nothing stronger they can give kids. Maybe now she's approaching ten there could be?

I said to her, tentatively, if there was some way to stop periods that would be good, but she said 'no i don't think it would be mum, it's natural to have them isn't is, idon't think it would be good for your body to stop them' @ understanding and marvelous dd. !

btw i know i am not answering to particular posters but i appreciate seeing posts for us here, honestly it is so nice. i have been here yrs and this is just one of those things where friendly women are what makes me feel strength. so thankyou. i hope in time i wil be able to impart some wisdom on this subject.

Its weird, becuase as women we all know the score with periods, its just heightened and a bit alien when it's your own kiddie.

Ledkr, how old is your dd? and how did she respond to the chat.

((HUGS)) you are strong, it doesn't mean you don't need a hug :) Of course it's about you as well, it's your baby who is suffering (again) and you are worried and must be tired and fed up of it all - one thing after another. It has been pretty relentless for you hasn't it :(

(Some) HT's/teachers really really piss me off. The left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing and so many of them spend all day talking to children & forget how to speak to adults. Grrrrr. I wish you could move to the lovely school near us - they would not be like this at all, they are brilliant with special needs issues and health issues. How would DD feel about being homeschooled?

When I was on the pill I used to take it back to back, constantly. It wasn't a problem and the Dr was happy. It was how it was originally designed :) However, there was an element of society who didn't feel clean when they didn't have their periods so the 21 day pill was designed. If there is something that DD can take, then it will be fine to do so.

It's one thing (one friggin annoying thing - for me anyway) when it's an adult or mid teen having a period (and the first one can be horrible no matter how old you are!) but your DD is just a wee slip of a thing, a child, she is only 9 and shouldn't have to be dealing with all of this at her age :( Let alone on top of everything else she's had to deal with :(

chipping you lovely lady, thankyou so much for your post.

will read again in a minute i just wanted to update about the gp visit.

well.

There is a table called Tranexamic Acid and it reduces the amount of blood produced. I have it for her, and she has to take one 500mg 3 x a day during the first 4 days of her period. It might help.

Having this to google is fab and i found this, i hope it helps anyone else.

'Abnormal bleeding accounts for approximately 50% of gynaecological visits in adolescent girls.1 These complaints encompass disorders ranging from minimal spotting to profuse bleeding. Puberty menorrhagia is defined as excessive bleeding occurring between menarche and 19 years. In 80% of cases puberty menorrhagia is caused by anovulatory cycles.2 There is an immaturity of the hypothalamus and inadequate positive feedback resulting in sustained high levels of oestrogen.'

I have picked up on this because she explained that in the early days esp in younger ones, the ovary isn't necessarily ovulating, which was news to me. So when the body matures and the hormones settle it gets better-ish i hope.

x

Hopefully that will help next time she gets it.

Did the GP say anything about the poo or the pain?

How did DD feel about the appointment?

said the same as we thought, constipation combined with unconscious stress of the period. luckily it hasn't happened today and taadaahhh she did manage a normal poo last night.

she said for dd to take tablets today and tomorrow too if period is still here.

I spoke to head this morning and explained the fact is had been heavy and that she would be back in as soon as. I said about deregistering her from school becuase of the stress of absence this is bound to cause, from them and to dd and he got a bit flustered. said 'well they'll still be doing checks if you do that' i said, well i have looked into it and they don't actually. he said if you are serious about that we should have a chat first together with someone relevant who knows about homeschooling, i said well it's not something i want to do (deregistering) but i need SUPPORT (cue small sob). He said 'oh well i have to admit home education is something i know nothing about so not sure how it works', so basically i feel he thought i might get knocks on the door every other week for an update which i know isn't the case.

i said, my dd thrives at school, and he agreed. so thats when said, well this all has to worked on and supported.

Piratecat - I feel for you and your DD. My 9 yr old DD hasn't started yet and I DREAD it happening! Like your DD, her body may be developing physically but mentally and emotionally she is still quite young.

She has started developing hair (which also upset me!) and when I gently asked her about it she said "it's not right, I'm only a little girl!" :(

She has also had issues at school, re friendships, seperation anxiety, school refusal and has recently undergone counselling. Like you, I feel it's all too much, too soon.

Do hope your DD is feeling better today - you sound a lovely mum :)

my dd takes tranexmanic acid and mefanamic (sp?) acid. they reduce the blood flow and prevent clots. they work wonders!

piratecat you are a wonderful mum to your dd. Re the tablets you got from the dr I think that they are probably the same ones as I have taken in the past as I have very very heavy periods due to getting old (!) and they do work and do reduce the amount of bleeding. However, they do make my stomach a little looser than normal so I tend not to take them with things like fruit juice. Just so you aware and can juggle what she eats a bit.

Hope things are better today.

I think if DD is up for homeschooling, and you can manage it, then go for it.

You've clearly done your research, but just wanted to remind you/point out that no matter what HT says about "making the decision together" or whatever, is absolute bollocks (whether he realises this or not!) - the school has no say in this whatsoever, assuming you're in England, so there's no need for him to influence your decision.

yes fuzzpig, i know!!

he was floundering a bit, he IS a lovely man, but doesn't know what he's talking about!

yet an overworked man, hence i have never found this school particularly communicative. It IS a fantastic school tho.

The penny dropped with me earlier, about the tablets, I remember a friend being on Mefenamic acid when i was a college. The name is so near to the one she has been given.

I am glad there IS something she can have at this age. Dr looked it up but saw no reason not to give it based on age. I am sure there must be other lower doses of adult drugs they have to give minors.

She did say about putting her on the pill, but that this was the first step at this age, or at least more preferable. I don't think she'd had a visit like ours before. !

friendlymum, what signs has your dd had so far. For my dd it started with the breast pain and developing nipples at eight this was april 2010, and a humongous growth spurt soon after. 5 inches in ten months! Also a huge amount of cream/white discharge most days. The discharge went away after a few months, but came back now and again, so improved washing and hygiene there was imperative.
Pube wise she got a few last summer, then in the last few months, lots.

accidentprawn (good name!) how old is your dd? I see she takes both types, are they different then? Has she had nausea or runny bottom on these? How many days per period does she take them. thanks

ah, googled Mefenamic acid and that's a pain killer.

Tranexaminc acid is for lessening the flow, to do with the bloodvessels in the uterus wall.

what with this and knowing lots this weekabout my car's driveshaft, i can't choose which career to go for !!

update. poor thing is still having her period, not back to school yet as pains keep crippling her.

thought it had gone as no blood all day till this evening when she was bent up, and behold another fresh lot.

this is not what i imagined as a first one tbh.