First, I was only 8 years old when I got my period! In fact, it was on my 8th birthday when I got it. I was at a friend's birthday party and we were playing hide and seek. I remember laughing really hard and then a gush of wetness. I went to my friend's sister and told her I thought I peed my pants. Well, when I went to change I saw a mess of dark brown and thought "Oh no! I couldn't have pooped my pants!" The sister then told me "No. You just got your period". She then asked if I had had one before. Nope, I hadn't. I had learned that it would happen one day and what to expect from my mom and even school. I just didn't know it would look so weird.

Thankfully, the sister gave me a pad and a belt. You see, back then , we didn't have sticky pads with wings. We had what looked like a skinny diaper and you had to insert one end into a elastic waist belt that clipped the pad in front and back. like the picture I put right next to this.

Those belts and pads were horrible!! They always shifted and then I would end up with "leaking" onto my pants. I quickly found the way around this problem. When I knew I was getting close to my cycle or actually was in it: I would wear a jacket tied around my waist.  I also stopped wearing jeans around that time just because the belt and pad were easier to wear with dresses and skirts. 

So, why am I telling you this? 

Are you freaking out?

 Don't.

 I am telling you so know that the awkwardness that comes with your period is not felt by you alone. Plus, more than likely, you will never have periods this bad or starting this early. I was an exception to the rule.

Plus the great news is, you have a way better selection that we did in the early 1980's. You not only have all kinds of pads you can choose from but there are many more options if you are comfortable with them.

Now, I am going to talk about the stuff that happens right before and during your period.

Usually about 3 days before your period, you will get cramps. They can be mild or they can be quite uncomfortable. 

But,  there are ways to help with this too! You will need a heating pad. That is what I always used. While you are watching TV ,doing homework, or going to bed you can use the heating pad set on low to medium and that helps the cramps. Also, there is medicine that you can get. I used Pamprin. It has Acetaminophen and Caffeine. The combo helps with the cramps and can help with any bloating you may get.

For me, I had really bad cramps. That is because I had a medical issue that makes cramps worse. If that happens to you, you need to talk to your parent and tell them so they can get you better help than over-the-counter medicine. Don't worry, all these symptoms can be helped!

***Helpful hint- Get a calendar and count off the days from your last period out and mark the calendar on day 21-28 from the last day as your "period window". This will help you be more prepared for when you are close to your cycle. Your 1st couple of years won't be exact. You may even skip a month, especially if you are active like I was! But this will help you to know when to start carrying your "period" stuff with you so you won't be unprepared.