That Awkward First Time Feelin’
Honestly, deciding to try a tampon felt like signing up for some wild adventure. My palms got sweaty just standing in the aisle, staring at like a million boxes. Smooth? Plastic applicator? Cardboard? Super? Regular? Man, they don’t make this easy. I grabbed one box saying “for beginners” with a plastic applicator – figured smooth might slide easier.
Prepping Like I Was Gonna Perform Surgery
Got home, washed my hands like crazy. Unwrapped it carefully, kinda felt like handling a small bullet. Pulled out the instructions – tiny words, confusing diagrams. Okay, relax. Deep breath. Read ’em twice. Basically said: find a comfy position (sitting or one leg up), relax, and push it UP and BACK.
The Actual Moment of Truth
Sat on the closed toilet lid, one foot on the tub. Fumbled with the applicator for a sec, trying to grip it right. Took another deep breath, reminded myself to RELAX those muscles. Slowly guided the smooth plastic tip… aiming kinda up and towards my back. Pushed the plunger gently, just like it said. Felt some pressure, but honestly? Not painful. Just… weird.
Pull it out? Nope! The tampon stays in, the applicator slides off. Pulled the applicator out smoothly. Checked – yep, the string was hanging out. Felt strange inside, not uncomfortable, just… present. Couldn’t feel it when I stood up or walked around a bit.
The Waiting Game & Removal Mission
Kept checking every 30 minutes those first two hours. Paranoia, ya know? Everything felt fine. Decided to take it out after about 4 hours since it was my first one. Grabbed the string gently, sat down, relaxed those muscles again, and pulled it steady and slow. Came out smooth!
Key things I figured out:
- ANGLE IS EVERYTHING: Up and back, seriously. Pointing straight up didn’t work, felt stuck. Angling it way back toward my spine was the trick.
- PLASTIC APPLICATOR WAS A WIN: Super smooth, slid in way easier than I feared cardboard might.
- RELAXING ISN’T OPTIONAL: Clenching made it impossible. Deep breaths and letting those muscles go loose was crucial.
- START “LIGHT”: Using a “Regular” absorbency when my flow wasn’t super heavy helped avoid feeling it too much.
- PATIENCE IS KEY: Took a couple tries to get the angle just right. Don’t panic if it feels odd at first or doesn’t go in perfect immediately.
Yeah, felt totally awkward and clueless at the start. But actually doing it? Way less scary than the years I spent avoiding it. Still gotta practice more, but feeling pretty good about conquering step one!
