The Story of MY FIRST STAIN in my Life!!
I remember the first time; I had my “FIRST STAIN in my Life “. …..I remember I was 13 years old and it was Annual summer holidays. I was a little independent girl from early ages who was more innocent, had no one to play around at my native , so had played all the games with imaginations talking to plants , animals, tiny creatures…That One Day suddenly this happened ” The First Stain in my inner wear”, I turned anxious and more worried what could be this…..
All I could remember that time , was an Aids Awareness Movie that my School had taken all the children for an awareness and also a sister in my family who died out of Blood Cancer…..
I was hiding myself from everyone, so nobody knew it and got worried about…I took all the cloth I can take from my old clothes, kept underneath my inner wear. When it was fully soaked with blood, I took it to the backyard and burnt it whenever everyone was sleeping during the afternoons….
We had TV’s showing the Advertisements of Sanitary Napkins but little did children like me know what it was all about. Nobody wanted to talk to us about it , as they never wanted to scare us with the “BLOOD THING” because they thought the Blood thing was always Danger thing which Children was told about in their Childhood….
But had we all been told there are two forms of Blood for every Girl One for Danger and One Blood comes to you to show you that you are turning from a girl to a Women and the most important thing in Women’s Life. And this Blood can be the Birth Blood of New Life’s to reach this Universe when you are fully an adult….
So the story continues here, thinking that I had something like Blood Cancer as it pained heavily below my abdomen and so I kept it secretly within me. Soon that was gone in few days and I was soon relieved… But next Month, it did come once again where I continued doing the same thing like my 1st month, as I was afraid to tell anybody and afraid that I would be taken to the Hospital…
But sooner, my mother figured it out and asked me. I hesitantly said Yes……I thought I would be screamed at for hiding to her…But soon she opened up a Shelf, took a cloth ,folded into few roll , helped me keep in my underwear and patiently explained to me what I was going through. And that’s the Story of my 1st Period’s Stain.
I always thought period as part of my Life, despite any cramps or pain in my abdomen. I never took it to my mind and had never chosen this an excuse to stay on bed or off from work from that day till today..
Later these years, I had worked as Senior Program Coordinator- Women Welfare and Research Department for a reputed Private hospital in my City Coimbatore with the role of working on health of 10 year old girl to 60 year old Women with their “All Women Stain” from their first period to Menopause. I choose to do this; because this was something I loved doing and could help in being the part of breaking the taboo of Periods.
I go to local schools to talk to young girls about Menstrual Cycle starting with the Humor Story of My First Stain .I had separate sessions for little boys as well , to talk to them on an outline about Women’s Stain, so there is no taboo thing left in them about periods , instead they understood it…I had gone to several other rural villages around along with my team of Gynecology Doctors to share with them on Menstrual Hygiene practices , where lot of women come with their different problems and after the session they feel very light as these very common problems all women faced and had ways to sort it out.
I had a few transgender friends, who is women in all ways but except this stain thing…During my conversation with them, they always shared that they WANT of THAT PERIOD PAIN and STAIN for them to be felt in their abdomen for feeling of HOLISTIC WOMEN in them, where most of the women like us fuss always about the Pain and the Stain…….
STAIN and PAIN are for the Good. Break the Taboo of keeping periods as a Secret. Talk about it much Louder. There is no embarrassing word in Periods, Sanitary Napkin, Blood Stain….
One thing if the universe gives me chance to change on this Blood Stain…I would re-write it as Women being called Impure to pure when they get their Blood Stain every month, also change the way people consider to stay at distance from doing devotional rituals and the untouchability culture towards God…This God created every Women , It was his Choice , Universe made us Women , Women with Blood Stain , it’s a very natural process and part of life. And how is it connected to Impureness….
Stain and Pain is for Good!! Blood Stain is a Symbol of New Life in their Womb!! Womb is the First Heaven on Earth where Life’s are formed, where it all starts with Blood Stain.. Respect the Stain and the pain of Women!!Endure the Pain and the Stain.
Written by Monthly Bleeding Proud Women…I am exactly on my 15year of Bleeding and I Have no Regrets of my PAIN and THE STAIN.
-Aparna.M.A