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My First Period

A Guide To Navigating The Red Sea

There are many names we call this monthly cycle we go through as females – The Red Tide, Your Womanly Time or Your Period – all of which are used to express that you are going through menstruation.

For decades it has been a topic almost everybody shys away from. We would like knock down those negative stereotypes about your menstrual cycle. Here at Sheba we want to celebrate every person that menstruates in their own right, celebrate their differences and similarities, and create a safe space to answer all those nagging, and often embarrassing, questions all women have.s. We are that best friend that can hold your secrets and insecurities under lock and key.

With so many ill informed opinions about your menstrual cycle out there, we thought that every female, and male, could use a guide to better understand what and why your body goes through this process. With the help of some of our readers we have assimilated a selection of “First Time Period” stories that every woman can relate to.

What’s scary is that often young girls are left with rumours and guidance from their peers. This can be to their own detriment. Usually girls your age know as much as you do about periods-very little. We recently conducted a survey in which we asked women from a variety of backgrounds and ages to openly talk about their menstrual cycle. This is what we found out.

About 70% of the women and girls first found it uncomfortable to share about such a topic because this wasn’t something they grew up doing. Most of them were afraid when they got their first period because they either didn’t know what has happening or didn’t know how to react, or they didn’t know have any pads or tampons to use. What has the biggest lesson was that most of our focus group (95%) did not feel like they were well equipped to deal with their first period.

“I was playing soccer outside with my friends. Went to use the loo and my underwear was drenched in blood. First thing I did was phone my mom, who asked my neighbor to give me pads as she was at work at the time.” S.H.

We need to talk about periods so that we do not perpetuate the same cycle with our kids and younger siblings. Enough is enough. Periods are not shameful, dirty or scary. They are natural, sometimes messy and painful, but mostly, their a monthly blood party in your pants.

Going Through The Motions

In order to better understand the strange feelings that roll around every month, you need to know what your body is doing and how you can help her  have a happier period.

• Physical Changes In My Body

Most of us are in tune with our bodies and even more so as our wombs prepare for the creation of life. Some of us might feel some changes in our bodies. These are the result of the changing estrogen levels in our bodies.

As your period draws closer you might also notice physical changes, in the form of swelling, and sensitivity in your mammary glands (your breast tissue and the glands beneath them), some of us even have ghost cramping which causes your inners to feel a dry twisting sensation. Your skin might break out – we call this the period pimple  but as you move further from puberty the breakouts will reduce.

When The Red Tide does arrive, she comes like clockwork for most of us. It is our bodies way of preparing the womb for pregnancy, by shedding the previous months cycle of tissue lining the womb. This can be a very painful process and can last for around 3 to 8 days on average. Some women do experience longer periods of bleeding which can go on for up to 15 days. Medical advice should be sought after if your period does last longer than 10 days. Remember to always ask and speak to someone if you feel your period pains are too severe or if your period is going on for longer than 8 days.

The cramping sensation you feel below your belly is actually a series of small contractions of your muscles in your womb forcing the lining down the birthing canal and out of your vagina.

The cramping can become quite unbearable at times and usually is at its worst on your first and second day of your period. We count our periods on a calendar from the day we start bleeding. Referred pain is not uncommon with period cramps, I myself sometimes suffer from excruciating back pain when I have my period. In some cases this can even cause you to throw up.

Tips on pain relief during your period

1. Heat Factor – Keep your feet warm, a hot water bottle, bean bag, fluffy socks help soothe period pain.
2. Medicate – Go slow with the pain killers, remember your period will be with you for the next 40+ years, you do not want to build up a tolerance to generic painkillers.
3. Hot Showers – A hot shower allows you to relax both physically and mentally.
4. Right Choices For You – Give your lady parts the best in period care, use products that your body agrees with and regularly change tampons and pads.
5. Assume the Position – Ever watch a birthing video, notice the positions Mom takes before the birthing even occurs, try them – they work to relieve pain while you’re waiting for pain pills to kick in!
6. Eating Right – Eating the right food can dramatically reduce period pain; nuts, dark chocolate, water and complex carbs are go to muscle relaxant foods.  

Before your period starts you might notice some discharge, this is completely normal. Discharge can range in colouration and quantity, pantyliners are a good way of making your underwear last longer as discharge contains high acidity levels which eventually stain underwear. If your discharge has a fishy or unusual smell or color, speak to an older women you trust, or a healthcare professional. 

          “Is this thing normal?”

I don’t think we ever get to a point in life where we stop asking “Is this normal?”. Our bodies can release some strangely coloured fluids and sometimes we end up resorting to Dr Google, which can only lead to life threatening diagnosis’. Trust me you don’t want to go there, so do your research and trust your instincts. You know your body better than anyone else and please do not hesitate to consult a doctor.

Having a Healthy Period

Cleanliness should be a top priority while menstruating to prevent infection and disease, however, stating this, we  do not mean your period itself is dirty. There is this very negative stereotype associated with menstruation blood, it is thought to be dirty and gross. It’s just blood . There’s nothing gross or weird about it. 

Rarely will the blood look like that of an open wound, it’s often discoloured and towards the end of your period it can look almost brown. This is all totally normal, no two females will have the exact same period. We all have different bodies and emotions and those are  reflected with our cycles. So don’t freak out if you bleed more than your friend, or your period ends sooner or goes on for longer, many things affect the duration of a period. You know your body, if it feels wrong consult a doctor immediately to ease your mind.

Choosing a product that works best for you is the first step to having a healthy period. Sheba have put together a range of not only eco friendly but also skin friendly to suite all periods. First time menstruators are advised to use pads until they are confident enough to use tampons and then other alternatives. 

This is a guide on how long you should go without changing your sanity unit – remember that even if you don’t think it should be changed, for your health always follow these rules of thumb.

• Pads – 3 to 4 Hours 
  • The reason the duration is so short is because the blood is exposed to oxygen and that is where bacteria thrives!
• Tampons – 4+ Hours
  • A tampon MUST be changed every four hours it is not advisable to sleep with one inside you – leaving your tampon in for long durations can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome among other complications. Only use 1 tampon at a time!
• Period Panties – Twice Daily
  • It is advised to be changed twice a day depending on your flow and the absorbency of the period panty 
• Menstrual Cups – 4-8 Hours
  • The menstrual cup isn’t absorbent so you don’t have to change it that often. It simply catched the blood inside the vangina adf holds it there to be poured out later.

Remember that periods are natural and have been around since the beginning of time. There is no need to be scared or anxious. Ask the people that you trust when you are unsure of anything.

Feel free to DM us any questions you may have.

Wishing you a happy period! X

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