How To Prepare Your Daughter For Her First Period?

The onset of puberty is one of the challenging phases of every girl’s life where even her mother gets anxious about the same. Some may welcome it with relief and joy while some may feel scared about it. But periods mean the same thing for every girl, that is, her onset of becoming a woman. On an average, most girls begin their menses at the age of 12 or 13 while some might even get late.

But if you wait to talk about it until your daughter gets her first menses, it’s going to be too late. Before she feels scared or forms her opinion about it, it is necessary that you talk to your daughter and prepare her for the same. As a mother, you should take the initiative to speak to your daughter about the process of menstruation and bust all the myths surrounding them that she might tend to believe.

What Is Menstruation?

Menstruation, also referred as a period, is a regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. Every month a mature female’s ovary releases an egg cell that travels up to the uterus through the fallopian tube. This is where the uterus prepares for a possible pregnancy by developing a uterine lining made of tissue and blood vessels. If the egg isn’t fertilized, the pregnancy doesn’t happen and the uterine lining is shed which exits from the body through vagina for a duration of 4 to 6 days. This process is called as menstruation which takes place every month in a woman’s life when she is not pregnant.

How To Prep Your Daughter For Her Monthly Flow?

Here's how to prep your daughter for her monthly flow.

1. Talk it out: You might be aware that your daughter’s age is almost nearing where her body is preparing for the first menses. You should talk to her first before her school decides to put up a lecture about the same. Prepare your daughter and teach her what menstruation is about and how she can deal with it. In this way she won’t be surprised or scared when she has her first period
2. Educate about the supplies: Before her periods you need to educate her about sanitary napkins, and how they are worn. You may go for the ones that can easily stick to the panty lining and don’t budge from their place. You may also need to educate her about the importance of having an extra pair of underwear and hot water bag
3. Dealing with the pain: Pain or cramps are one the major accompaniment of periods, so forewarn your daughter about it so that it doesn’t come as a surprise to her. You may also talk to her about backache, headaches and the feeling of nausea. If your daughter cannot handle the pain then supply her with painkillers that you can get prescribed from your doctor, keep a hot water bag handy for her and lemonade to soothe the pain. Catching up on some sleep will help her get relief from the discomfort
4. Breaking the myths: Menstruation is considered as mere taboo in our country which has given birth to a number of myths that the society firmly believes in. A woman is made to sit, sleep and eat separately when she is on her menses as she is regarded as impure. You must not give in to these myths as menstruation is just a bodily function of a woman, ensuring her good health. Break the myths for your daughter and encourage her to practice hygiene to avoid any sort of infections
5. Support: You can discuss the topic of menstruation not only with your daughter but also invite her girl gang for the same. You need to teach them to have each other’s back especially during this time of the month and even learn to hand over supplies to each other if need be. Menses aren’t regular during the initial stage of a girl’s life which is why you need to teach your daughter about keeping the supplies handy even in her school bag to avoid any mishaps

You need to be positive about menstruation in general and avoid anything negative. Taboos shouldn’t be considered serious as your daughter might feel embarrassed of her body. Encourage her to practice hygiene thoroughly and also educate her about safe sex as this is a crucial time where she can educate herself about the chances of possible pregnancy and the consequences it brings along.

You can be her friend more than being a mother which is how she can open up to you freely. Go shopping together for the supplies and you can even share stories with her about your initial stages of menstruation to give her support and courage.