Period during school waterbased residential plan!

[MercurysMeteor]

DD11 is set to go on a school residential next month. It is activity based, building rafts, canoeing, swimming.. and other fun outdoors activities. Unfortunately she’s due to start half way through. She’s still getting used to the whole concept of periods and just about managing with pads and period pants. But occasionally she leaks on to the sofa/bed sheets (she has the highest pad scale and length so I’m not sure why it’s happening) and I’m worried for her. Plus she’s not able to use tampons yet so I’m worried about how she’ll cope with anything water based.
I wish she didn’t have to deal with it whilst she’s there, such rubbish timing!
any advice on how I help her as I can see she’s already starting to fret about it.

Ask the GP if they'll give her noresthisterone to delay it by a few days.

Yep agree with above poster, the GP should hopefully give her some medication to delay.

I've been pondering the same thing for my 11 yo DD. It will only be her 4th period, so her cycle is not 100% reliable yet, but if it the same amount of days as the last, she will start on the trip.

M&S have just added some night time shorts to their period range. DD has used them for sports at school as well as overnight www.marksandspencer.com/high-absorbency-period-knicker-shorts/p/clp60524395#intid=carousel_FUNH_AT_RECENT_END_FIND-SRP_18_3

DD has had some leakages too and I often did when I was younger. I don't think it is too unusual.

Poor girls, it is a lot to deal with.

Thanks @MolliciousIntent i was wondering the same but I didn’t think they would give it to someone so young….

I don't know either, but it's worth asking surely

We had the same issue here recently, I bought a modibodi swimsuit and their 24 hour period pants (hipster boy shorts) as her period is usually heavy for 3 days. I also gave her the plastic scented purple bags you can get in the supermarkets for putting used sanitary towels in, they are big enough to store the used modi pants in and disguise smells. This was an expensive solution however. I think the boy shirts were £15 each. It did work and she was relieved there was no leakage.

Boyshorts (spellcheck!)

Go to the GP - they gave it to my daughter for similiar trip age 12 x

I do have to say I think it's time school water based activities were a no-go.
It's just a totally thoughtless activity when 52% of the cohort will be young girls dealing with this. Just the day to day casual misogyny of the accepted way

Surely it would be better for her to use a tampon than be given medications to delay her period!

They make those Tampax minis, could she use those? It's a bit gross to suggest she get in a pool with other kids wearing period pants I would have thought.

@beachcitygirl

How is it fair to ban sports because a few girls may need to use the weird protection (and there's better solutions than 25 years ago when I faced this)? Yes girls have to deal with it but we need to be empowering young women to cope not telling them not to do certain activities. I have 2 DD's and we have never not done an activity!

@motogirl nowhere did I suggest banning sports & nor would I. That would be ridiculous.
There are plenty of sporting activities that are not swimming costume based.

But girls as young as 10 & 11 are new to periods & it's uncomfortable, still embarrassing (although I wish it wasn't, but it is) prone to irregular start dates & heavy leakage & most girls do not start off with tampons or cups.

These trips are put in place & kept going year after year by larger male head teachers (even if not male now, it would have been) it is an inordinately male top heavy management considering a high percentage of female teachers.

Male as the default position puts girls in this type of position.

What's wrong with camping/climbing/running/team games etc ? As a school trip ?

@Changednamesorry just to clarify, my daughter worn her modibodi period swimsuit under a wetsuit for swimming in the sea and surfing. If there was swimming in a swimming pool the plan was to be excused as she had her period (normal at her school). It was all sea swimming on her activity week.

Ah fair enough that makes sense.

@Changednamesorry no worries. I agree swimming pool is a whole other thing, best just to opt out if you don’t feel ready for tampons.

It's a tough one. Try the GP in the first instance.
My DD used a tampon on day 1 of her first period as she had swimming. She's a tough nut I'm grateful for that. She did have a period on dofe and used the scented sacks and carried them in bag in her rucksack until she got to the campsite where there were bins. Be sure to get completely opaque scented bags - some of them are somewhat thin and a bit see-through.

Modibodi Swimsuit

Or how about money and time was invested into a way that young girls on their periods could do all the things that boys can including water? (Without having to insert a tampon at 11)
How about that way is given freely to families who can’t afford it?
Modi Bodi swimwear is a good step forward but not perfect.
If this were boys and men it was affecting tomorrow and not girls I wonder how long before a better solution was found.

I'd encourage her to crack on with applicator tampons. I only did when I was about to go on holiday as a teen and period arrived unexpectedly - wondered why I hadn't done it earlier and missed out on so much. I think sometimes mothers don't want to encourage tampon use in v young girls but honestly why.

I cant use tampons etc myself and get equally stressed when totm arrives. Discovered period swimwear on modibodi and have to say I am impressed. Not sure if that could help?

This. So much needless stress caused to so many young girls because of teacher selfishness.

Anyway OP if it was me I would talk to the school and explain that DD will not be able to do swimming during the trip and explain why and if told that she has to, remind the school that is sex discrimination and they they are legally obliged to accomodate girl’s needs.

I wouldn’t medicate a child to accommodate a teacher’s activity preference and I certainly wouldn’t encourage a 11 year old to use tampons. A previous poster asked why - toxic shock syndrome among other reasons: managing tampons requires a level of hygiene, sense of times needed to change, ability to select the correct tampon for flow l, remembering to remove the last one etc and it’s a lot for a 11 year old to manage on what is supposed to be a fun holiday.

Might the medication cause her to feel sick. It made feel ill.

She won't be the only girl with this issue and the teachers will be sensitive - they know it's a tricky time. I however as a mother would much rather my daughter try tampons rather than go on hormone changing medication at such a young age. I am a swimmer and had to get used to them asap. Get her to try using a mirror, or even non applicator ones to start with.

does the modi bodi swimming stuff actually work? how does it not leak in the water??

Can't comment on the how, but I tested in the bath first time and it did work 🤣