9 year old getting period???

[kittywitty]

.

Edited by kittywitty - 6/18/11 at 1:33pm

[MusicianDad]

9 is on the early end of normal. First rule of support for this is do not freak out! Even if you really want to. Welcome it as you would if she were 11 or 12 or 13.

[kittywitty]

But I hadn't thought that far ahead! I want to be supportive and do this right.

[eclipse]

I was 10, so 9.5 doesn't seem like a big stretch to me. I can see it sneaking up on you at that early age, though. First of all - did she know what it was? My mom was 10, too, and her mother had never told her a thing about menstruation and she thought she was dying when she woke up in a puddle of blood . And her mom still didn't really explain much about it. Anyhow, the first thing I'd do is make sure she knows it's totally normal. If you haven't had any sort of puberty discussions yet, now would be the time - and I think a good, frank book is a good way to go - you can talk it over with her and show her whatever pictures they have to explain about the ovaries releasing eggs, etc. Another important thing to tell her is about how long it will last and that because she's young, it might be sporadic and be several months before it happens again or that it might come back every month.

And I'd do something a little special for her. Like a mom/daughter day out doing something a little "grown up" - like a pedicure or manicure, or a fancyish meal somewhere (even if you just go to a not fancy restaurant but fancy yourselves up )

[kittywitty]

Thanks! I have the "It's Not the Stork" book. At first I thought it was a UTI. She said it hurt to pee and there was a tiny smidgen of blood. But it's getting to be a lot more now and there's no blood in her urine and her urine is clear.

I am broke but will find the money and have a special day with her tomorrow.

Maybe make her some cloth pads, too?

[MeepyCat]

I'm not entirely convinced I'd do cloth pads for a nine year-old, but it depends on your situation. I truly cannot imagine dealing with cloth while also dealing with junior high school. Definitely set her up with some supplies though (I got through my first period on TP because I was too embarrassed to tell my mom, and I basically ruined all of my underwear).

And something kind of special, even if it's just an ice cream cone and french braiding her hair, would be sweet.

[whatsnextmom]

It's possible it's not her period at all. She may have broken her hymen which can cause some period-like bleeding. It's not so uncommon in active girls today and easy to mistake for starting your period. Activities as simple as riding a bike can tear the hymen. Has she shown other signs of puberty like breast buds, pubic hair, discharge, moodiness? The breast buds typical start developing a year prior to mensus. If this is really out-of-the-blue it may not be her period at all.

This happened to me at 10 though I didn't realize it at the time. I was playing on the slip and slide with my cousins. When I used the bathroom, I thought I'd started my period. It didn't come back until 2 years later when I was showing several signs of puberty.

[chfriend]

Does she have other signs of starting puberty? Has she had breast buds for a while. If not, it might be worth a check with the doctor.

If it is her period, to you and her.

[Drummer's Wife]

Ahhh! I have been thinking about this recently as my DD is also 9.5 and getting boobs, body odor, and growing a lot. I figure her period is coming sooner than later. I didn't start until 13, but there are definitely girls who are 9-10 getting theirs.

I don't have any helpful advice, though. Just . Is she handling it okay so far? When I mentioned it to my DD the other day she seemed a bit freaked out at the idea.

[kittywitty]

'm pretty sure it's here period. She has cramps today and is still bleeding. As for other puberty related things- I haven't noticed or asked. I guess I'll have to! I'm getting ready to take her out to coffee and talk where her 8 year old brother will leave her alone. I'll ask her about cloth pads later-she likes to sew and we homeschool and she's a tomboy, so I'm not worried about anything there for her.

[whatsnextmom]

Hmm, I would consider calling her doctor. It's pretty uncommon for a 9-year-old to get her period without your knowing whether she's started developing or not. It could be nothing but it's unusual enough to ask about it.

[MusicianDad]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom

Hmm, I would consider calling her doctor. It's pretty uncommon for a 9-year-old to get her period without your knowing whether she's started developing or not. It could be nothing but it's unusual enough to ask about it.

Really? Because not every girl is going to announce hair, breast development, or other aspects of puberty to their family. It's also not uncommon to not notice or ask...

[AFWife]

I was also 10 when I got mine (My bday is in March and I started in March...so right at 10) 9 is early but, imo, not TOO early. I've noticed that girls seem to develop faster these days anyway.

Originally Posted by eclipse

And I'd do something a little special for her. Like a mom/daughter day out doing something a little "grown up" - like a pedicure or manicure, or a fancyish meal somewhere (even if you just go to a not fancy restaurant but fancy yourselves up )

I like this idea. Make a big deal out of her being a woman...not so much the bleeding part. (Because that's no fun!)

Originally Posted by MusicianDad

Really? Because not every girl is going to announce hair, breast development, or other aspects of puberty to their family. It's also not uncommon to not notice or ask...

I agree.

[whatsnextmom]

Really? Because not every girl is going to announce hair, breast development, or other aspects of puberty to their family. It's also not uncommon to not notice or ask...

I agree that most kids aren't going to announce it but it is rare to have a girl start menstrating without ANY noticeable signs that she's started developing (and development starts about a year or more in the majority of cases.) Breast, armpit hair... these are things you can see when your kid is wearing a tank top, swimsuit, regular shirt, ect. Mom's usually notice these changes pretty quick and I'm guessing the OP is as observant about her child as the next mom.

I know a couple 9-year-olds that started their periods but their body started developing at 8. I'm just saying if this is a total surprise and there are no other signs of puberty, it might be worth a call.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom

Hmm, I would consider calling her doctor. It's pretty uncommon for a 9-year-old to get her period without your knowing whether she's started developing or not. It could be nothing but it's unusual enough to ask about it.

Our doctor moved out of state and none close by are taking our insurance at the moment. I can try to make an appointment in the neighboring county health clinic, but honestly trust that very little. Not that I don't *want* to take her, but it's unlikely for awhile.

As for development-I didn't get boobs until a couple of years after I got my period-unfortunately I'm not very gifted in that department still. As for body hair-she has very very fine strawberry blonde hair so it's not surprising if neither she nor I noticed body hair changes. It also took me a few years in that department after menarche. Mine is dark, though. I asked her if she had hair "down there" and she acted like it was the single sickest question ever asked and yelled "NO!" so I don't know if that's a "no" no or a "OMG what's wrong with me now" no.

[MusicianDad]

It was probably a "my mom is asking about my girl parts! Gross!" no.

[ChristaN]

Since my oldest is coming up on 12, I've been making myself more aware of the stages of puberty so I know what to expect. My understanding is that 12.5-12.75 is the average age for a girl to start her period now a days, so yours is obviously quite a bit younger than that. However, 20 years ago, 13.5 was more average, so it sounds like you were a few years younger than average as well. I would expect that, with a family history of starting a few years younger than the current average, it wouldn't be unheard of for her to start that young.

I hope that she isn't too phased by this and it sounds like you are handling it well.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Chiming in, I got my first period about two weeks before my 10th birthday. I didnt start getting my boobies until about 11. I also had the fine blond peach fuzz hair on my legs. Don't remember when pubes started, maybe around 13ish?

So FWIW, according to ME, it all sounds pretty within the realm of normal.

I found that my mom making a not-so-big-a-deal about it helped me MORE then if she had been all up in my grill trying to be supportive. YKWIM? I guess less was more, maybe? Like, this is a part of life, this is what you do about it, go on with the rest of your day, kinda thing. But again, thats just what worked FOR ME.

[ChristaN]

I'll try not to derail your thread . I am curious, though, for those of you who started your period that early, did your growth slow down afterward? I've read that bone growth slows down significantly after a girl's period starts and that one should expect no more than maybe another inch or two of growth after that point. That was about right for me, but I got my period just before my 14th bd and I imagine that I would have been done growing my that point either way. I'd imagine that a girl who stops growing at 10, on the other hand, might wind up rather short as an adult.

[cschick]

Originally Posted by ChristaN

I'll try not to derail your thread . I am curious, though, for those of you who started your period that early, did your growth slow down afterward? I've read that bone growth slows down significantly after a girl's period starts and that one should expect no more than maybe another inch or two of growth after that point. That was about right for me, but I got my period just before my 14th bd and I imagine that I would have been done growing my that point either way. I'd imagine that a girl who stops growing at 10, on the other hand, might wind up rather short as an adult.

I wasn't early with mine (started at 13) but I grew 6 inches (from 5 feet even to 5'6") between 13 and 17.