Remember your first period?
Were you one of those little girls that screamed and got excited to “become a woman”? Did you brag to all your friends about how mature you were now?
Or were you like me, a miserable mess? It felt like a life sentence was just slapped around my uterus. I cried bitter tears to my mother while she patted my back. More than a decade later, I’m still crying.
Cramps, diarrhea, bloating, mood swings, increased sensitivity, headaches, backaches, side aches, front aches. Everything hurts. And everything is hexpensive. You know much feminine products add up every month every year for an average 50 years? It’s a lot.
Surface level, it sucks right. But why fight nature my whole life? What’s the lesson in this pain?
Slow down. Rest. Repair.
Take a hot shower. Lie down an extra minute or two. Eat the damn food if it’s looking good as good as its looking. You can’t go-go-go all the time so I decided to make that ‘special’ time of the month actually special. Nice gyul deserve nice things.
Let me put you on to some products that have made all the difference:
Tampons are not for me so as a pad girlie I use Stayfree overnight ones with the wings for heavy days and those green ones for lighter days. I hear Sleepy has those all-natural ones that are more environmentally friendly so I’ll be sure to check those out and let you know.
Love-love-love those Summer’s Eve wipes for sensitive skin. I actually feel fresh and clean throughout the day and once I feel good, I am good. That, or Huggies baby wipes.
And last, Blue Vervain flavoured sea moss from the Sea Moss Sanctuary. Blue vervain helps relieve cramps during your menstrual cycle. A recent and welcome edition to my routine so shout out to the Sanctuary for putting me on to the good stuff.
I’ll rant and rave my way through. Curse my uterus till I’m hoarse still. Some things haven’t changed. But one thing I’m happy that has is the shame around my period.
Why does asking another girl in your class or office for a pad feel like a drug deal? Hushed voices and colourfully wrapped products passed like a handshake. Checking yourself to make sure no one can you see you packing. Making that stupid face when you sneeze and turn into a squeezed ketchup packet.
I am a bleeding woman and I’m still handling my business. And on some days, I don’t handle my business. Either day, I’ll look good doing it and shaming one of the most natural things about womanhood is a waste of precious energy. Kindness to our bodies won’t stop the bleeding but neither will shame
