Are there certain types of conversations that make you cringe? I know there are a few for me. I try to be pretty open and honest with my children but I’m pretty sure there will be a few toe curling conversations in the future. Ava at 2 is still too young to ask many questions but Kyle has always been very inquisitive. He knows he can come and ask us anything and that we will always try and answer him, or find the answer if we don’t know. When I was pregnant with Ava he wouldn’t accept a simple explanation of how the baby got in and out of my tummy. We were a bit baffled at how to go about answering him, he was almost seven at the time. We decided on the proper terminology, science side. He took it all in then got a bit bored with it all and stopped asking. 

He’s zooming towards the tween years at the moment. He told me the other day about the lessons they have been having at School, ‘the gross ones Mummy’ so I made sure I sat and listened to what he had to say. I want him and the other two to know that it’s okay to talk about body changes, how they’re feeling and anything that may be worrying or upsetting them.

Whilst I will be having conversations with him, no doubt very soon, they will maybe be a little different to the ones I will have with my daughter. Obviously their different body parts will play a big role in the future conversations. When I think about the future talks I will have with Ava the obvious ones like puberty, periods, sex and relationships come straight to my mind. I hadn’t really thought about talking to her about problems that might occur like thrush, cystitis and BV. I’m hoping she will be able talk to me about any problems without finding it too embarrassing to actually tell me. Canesten® know the importance of normalising conversation about intimate health and common intimate conditions, between mothers and their daughters. Promoting female intimate health through better knowledge means women can self-diagnose and self-treat knowledgeably and with confidence, which is what I want for her.

I can remember puberty being a time where I really wasn’t sure what was normal and what wasn’t. I tended to worry about things myself rather than asking. I’m still like that a bit now and as a worrier it’s something I don’t want for my children. I was lucky that my first experience of cystitis wasn’t until I was older. Not so lucky however that it was so bad I needed antibiotics, which unfortunately seems to be the norm for me if I ever get it. The last time I had it was after driving to Devon and not stopping when I needed the toilet. It’s always a good excuse now to make James take a break though as I think he felt a bit guilty! Cystitis is easier to talk about for some reason than thrush, which luckily I’ve only ever had once, mildly, when taking some strong antibiotics which is a common side effect. Knowing the signs and symptoms means I can self treat, or get help to treat the problem in the early stages. 

Win with Canesten®

Today I’ve teamed up with Canesten® to offer one of my readers the chance to win a £50 Amazon voucher. Canesten® want to encourage us to have conversations with our daughters about their intimate health and are asking you the question;

What I wish I knew about intimate health when I was younger

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below where full terms and conditions can be found. Good luck!

 

 

Disclosure: This post has been supported by Canesten® but all thoughts are my own.