10 yr old started period today.. questions..

[dol89]

Hi, my daughter turnt 10 literally 6 days ago. She came home from school today and told me she had blood when she wiped.. when we got home I confirmed she started her period.
I am absolutely distraught, she is so little. She's my first and only baby and I've never had to do this before so I have a few questions for parents with children that have recently gone through this.
It's been a long time since I started so I can't remember.

Will this be a proper period?
Will it ease in slowly?
Will she have a period every month now or will it go and come back later on?

Anything else you think would help would be appreciated, I'm so upset 😭

Ah, see, I would inform the school at 10 years old. She might take a bit longer in the toilets or need to change her pad in a lesson (or underwear as she gets used to periods. )

Projecting, much? The OP has nowhere mentioned that she herself has had a difficult time with periods, or has any reason to imagine her daughter will. It’s not ‘patriarchal’ to point out that the OP never mentions a history of menstrual difficulties or that she had any reason to expect her daughter to have anything other than entirely normal periods.

What sanctimonious rubbish. You are not the thought police. It is fine for her to feel however she feels and no, her daughter isn't a mind reader and won't automatically know the OP's inner thoughts. I have a million and one adult thoughts and worries that my kids know nothing about. As do you, unless you tell your children everything or have zero adult thoughts.

Periods are natural, obviously 🙄 You're chucking up straw men there. My personal experience of them is that I don't enjoy them. Like OP, I'm also allowed to feel that way inside my own head. And I'm allowed to feel, again inside my own private thoughts, that I wouldn't want my primary aged child to have to deal with that when my primary school years were so happy and carefree and I didn't have to spend days curled up in agony, puking and having diarrhea every month. There's nothing "bizarre" about that.

@PollySolo
"Projecting, much? The OP has nowhere mentioned that she herself has had a difficult time with periods, or has any reason to imagine her daughter will. It’s not ‘patriarchal’ to point out that the OP never mentions a history of menstrual difficulties or that she had any reason to expect her daughter to have anything other than entirely normal periods."

It's possible for OP to be aware of difficulties with periods regardless of whether she or her DD are suffering. Sharing experiences, saying "this can happen because I've been there" is part of being empathetic.

Scolding a woman showing concern for her daughter and scolding those coming to tell her she's doing okay shows no empathy at all. If a woman has said she is distressed and you can't say anything supportive, please don't say anything.

Let me say this again. Nothing whatsoever in the OP’s posts indicates any medical concerns. She’s simply being sentimental because she thinks her daughter hitting a marker of puberty at ten is ‘horrible’ and ‘too soon’. These are her issues to deal with, as she recognises herself, and as many pps have said.

Good job that OP specifically said that she wasn't showing any negative emotions to her DD, and that my comment also had nothing to do with letting her DD know that she was upset.

Never understand why people want to start an argument over something that hasn't even been said. Strange behaviour.

It’s on the young side but not that unusual

Yes I’d let the primary school know, I imagine they have a specific loo with sanitary bins etc

It might not happen again for ages - but either way it probably won’t be regular for a bit. I’d put a pair of period knickers and a little pack of wipes in a little zip bag to put in her school bag so she’s always prepared, and avoid light coloured trousers till you can see a pattern.

Get her period pants and a swimming costume (plenty of brand advice on here) it’s easier than pads.

She will be ok and won't realise it's young till she's older. Hot water bottle and paracetamol if needed. Definitely get her period pants and perhaps a swimming costume version. My daughter was quite young too but has coped really well. Lillets do a teen pad which is a bit smaller. Hard now but in 6 months it will be a non event xx

@GladysHeeler Have you tried period pants for your sporty one?

My dd started at the same age but she was already developing so it wasn’t a shock. It did feel young .. the hormones kicked in and she became a moody teenager overnight. She’s autistic too so a lot to handle. I was positive to dd but would have loved to delay it a couple of years.

I did tell school when I saw the teacher. She was in y6 and they said 4 girls had started that week - some in y5. So it isn’t so unusual these days. Thank goodness for period pants.

Period pants are a game changer, they give confidence that they won't bleed through and can put a pad on top etc

You can't diagnose endometriosis via any form except laparoscopic surgery. Has she tried tranexamic acid?

10 seems tiny.

I was 15 and my sister was 17!

Yes I’d agree

They are
a) a PITA

b) part of adolescence and sexuality developing - one of the challenges for girls especially is bodies develop ahead of minds which can make early adolescence very hard and unsettling to navigate.

c) sometimes painful (sometimes very)

If we could opt not to have periods I’m sure most people would (and do later on with some birth control).

Of course they also herald the start of many good things (so I would take her out to tea to celebrate OP)

That’s very late! Average is about 12 and a half I think

My cousin started at 9! It's not uncommon nowadays with all the hormones in food. She wears period knickers and doesn't seem phased at all. No need to be distraught, it's really not a big deal. Your reaction will impact her so act breezily.

my dd was 12 and seemed to be very regular each month right from her very first one.
A question about period pants is one pair worn all day or do you need several pairs to change throughout the day? Atleast with pads they can be changed every couple of hours as needed. cannot imagine wearing the soaked pants all day doesn't seem hygienic??

This is how I hope to be with mini blondes

Those who dd started early - did you the mums as well ?

I was 10.5 and now almost 51 and still have them every 28 days

DD was 11 same as me, however she was still in primary. They had no sanitary bins or anything, luckily we then went into lockdown. She hates pads but she’s just used period pants since.

what I wasn’t expecting is that they would be so regular from the start, I think I may have been the same. Sometimes they are lighter, but she hasn’t missed one since starting.

Theres nothing wrong with saying it’s crap. I tell her if I’m having a light one or a heavy one, or if it’s painful or not. I actually use a tracker and book things around it to make life easier for her. It’s a fact of life but pretending it’s easy isn’t helpful.

Get her some period pants, much better than pads especially for younger girls or before they are really heavy. Fantastic invention!

My DN's were 8 and 9 when they started theirs. I concur with the period pants, they must make things so much easier for them.

Definitely tell school- they can't help if they don't know. Only one toilet at our school has a sanitary bin for example, it might not be in the toilet that your DD is meant to use. As someone previously mentioned, SAs can be wonderfully supportive, if they know!

My 2 both started early, age 11 - one was at primary and one had just started secondary. While it seems a PITA to start at primary, I'd say she actually had a better time of it, as she was in familiar surroundings, whereas the other one had to deal with all the new toilet angst at secondary alongside getting used to managing her period.

They both use liletts teen pads with period pants - I can't get them to "trust" the pants on their own - both quite heavy so I get that.

Oh and both regular, full monthly periods from the start. One suffers terribly and needs to take medication,the other fine.

Good luck to your DD

Oh and I use a tracker app on my phone for the younger one, so I can warn her when it's due

DD puts a reusable pad in the pants in the morning, then takes it out at lunchtime so she has the clean pants for the afternoon. Then she changes when she gets home and adds another pad into new pants before taking the pad out for bed.

No. I was 13. (DD was 10.5)