Essential Period Protection, Pads.
Pads are an absorbent piece of material used to soak up menstrual blood when a girl is on her period. Pads have a sticky back so they stay attached you your underwear. Most girls will use pads when they first start their period so they can get to know their flow. Once they've mastered pads some girls move onto tampons while others just use pads their whole life. The choice is up to you. However you cannot go swimming with a pad.
This is what a pad looks like. The come with or without wings. Wings are a sticky flap that folds around your underwear to hold the pad in place.
This is a non-winged pad.
This is what a pad looks like. The come with or without wings. Wings are a sticky flap that folds around your underwear to hold the pad in place.
This is a non-winged pad.
And this is a winged pad.
These pictures show the pad when it is wrapped up, when it's open with the wrapper still attached, and what it'll look like in your underwear. The wings aren't visible in the last stage because they will fold around your underwear.
Wings are good if you have a heavy flow, that way you have more protection and less chance of the pad moving out of place. Once again it's your choice if you want to use winged pads or non-winged pads.
Pads come in different absorbencies. These are regular, super, overnight and maternity. Regulars are good for during the day when you can change them often. Supers can be used during the day if you have a heavy flow or at night if you have a regular flow. Overnight are for, you guessed it, overnight. They're longer to catch more fluid because when you're sleeping you can end up in some weird positions and are extra absorbent because at night you don't want to wake up just to change your pad. Maternity pads are for women who have just given birth because the lining of the uterus had to hold a baby and keep it safe and warm it's a lot heavier than any normal period and lasts quite a while. So I can tell you for sure, you don't need maternity pads!
You should change your pad every 4-5 hours, no longer than 6. If your pad fills up before 4 hours and/or you leak then you need to switch to a higher absorbency. If your pad still isn't full after 6 hours, switch to a lower absorbency. Move down to liners if you were already on a regular pad.
This is approximately what a full pad will look like (when you should change it). I drew it with paint, it's NOT real blood!
The blood in your pad won't be as perfect as what I've drawn. If the blood is mostly down the back of the pad then next time you change your pad move it a bit further back. If the blood is towards the front of the pad then when you change it put the pad further forward in your underwear. This will help prevent leaks.
Tip: If you do leak, which everyone will in their lifetime. Change your underwear and place it in a bucket of cold water. This will stop the blood from staining. Do not put a pair of bloody underwear in the washing basket and hope no one will notice because it will get all over everyone else's clothes in the washing machine. Have fun explaining that!