Seriously, you aren't going to die. It might feel like it, from the cramps, to the blood, to the mortified embarrassment, but you're going to be fine. Many women have an embarrassing first period story, and I am one of them. Here's mine. I was in the sixth grade, and I was sitting in class when all off a sudden I felt like I had peed in my pants. I freaked out, as you would expect, but tried not to show just how spooked I was — I didn't want to draw any attention to myself of course. I remember opening my legs just enough to peek through them and sure enough, it looked like a crime scene in the middle of my seat. Luckily, my mother had taught me all about periods, and I was prepared for the actual event to occur, just not in the middle of my classroom. With a male teacher. Surrounded by sixth grade boys.
I raised my hand and called my teacher over and tried to explain in the best way possible that I was bleeding, but not because I had cut myself or something like that. For some reason, I couldn't get the words "I started my period" out of my mouth — surprisingly, it's a touchy subject, you'll learn a lot more about that as you go through life. He finally got my meaning and told me to go to the nurse but offered no help in distracting everyone from looking at me. Thankfully, I had a jacket with me so I tied it around my waist, but there was still honest-to-God a puddle of blood in my seat.
I don't remember anything else other than the fact that thinking about that moment still makes me want to blush and run and hide. The point of sharing that ridiculously awful memory with you is so that perhaps you won't feel as alone when and if you've just gotten your first period ever.
You're going to get cramps. Get a heating pad and ask your parents to go get you some Midol or Pamprin if your mom doesn't already have it in her stash. Load up on tampons or pads, or both — find out which ones you like the most. There's no shame in either, but you want to be the most comfortable during this time so choose the one that you are comfortable in, not the one that you think is "cooler" — there's actually nothing cool about a period and no decision you make regarding it will be seen as cool.
You're going to think you're actually bleeding out, but I assure you that you aren't — it's not just blood coming out of you; it's all the stuff from inside your uterus coming out too. Hopefully you learned about all of that already, but with sexual education in America, I kind of doubt it. Look it up. Google is your best friend.
Someone, probably a boy, is going to make fun of you. They're going to say it's gross; they're going to tell you to suck it up and all kinds of awful things. As hard as it is to do, ignore them. A period is a stupid, dumb, awful thing but it's also wonderful because it means that you are a woman. And women are the strongest, most compassionate beings on the planet. If anyone makes fun of your period, remind them where they came from — their mother — who couldn't have had them if she hadn't have had a period. Again, if you don't know about all of that, ask your parents or Google it. Seriously, American sexual education sucks.
From a mostly-adult who has had approximately 120 periods in my lifetime, you are seriously not going to die — from your period or from the embarrassment it causes. You're going to be fine, and this is just the first step in a long line of many that will start you onto the path of growing into the amazing woman you're going to be. Bleed on, period pals.
