Puberty. I'm assuming these things are normal?

[Janna]

My dd will be 10yo in 30 days (as she reminds me daily, counting down). She is tall for her age and pencil thin. There is absolutely no form to her body whatsoever. I was not that way, being overweight until I was about 17. So I'm actually surprised that she is starting puberty already (though I know it's normal and is already pre-wired in the timing).

 

So one of her complaints as of late is that she gets hot flashes. And you can see it. One minute she looks fine, the next minute her face is super red and flushed and she's hot and her ears are burning. This girl has zero body fat on her and is almost always cold, so this is very unusual. I'm assuming that if hormones cause hot flashes in women, they would for puberty too, right?

 

The other thing is that she is starting to "bud" (if you kwim), but only on one side. And she keeps touching it because she says it's sore. I'm fairly certain that is normal. Right? Would now be when she should have a bra? Even though there is nothing there yet but a protruding ni**le, should we go shopping?

 

Of course she has the crying and the frustration and general irritability. Good times...:thumbup1:

 

NOT.

[Ginger]

Janna, My dd turned 10 about 6 weeks ago...she seems to have the same body type as you described your daughter as having. About that time she called to my attention a lump under her nipple, and also said it was sore. I told her we'd watch it...but I looked up online, and it appears to be normal. She just brought it up yesterday that it is still there(only on one side) and is sore. So I'm guessing it is normal since your dd has it, too.

 

No experience with the hotflashes though...she used to always be hot, now she is always cold...go figure.

[Mrs Mungo]

My dd will be 10yo in 30 days (as she reminds me daily, counting down). She is tall for her age and pencil thin. There is absolutely no form to her body whatsoever. I was not that way, being overweight until I was about 17. So I'm actually surprised that she is starting puberty already (though I know it's normal and is already pre-wired in the timing).

 

So one of her complaints as of late is that she gets hot flashes. And you can see it. One minute she looks fine, the next minute her face is super red and flushed and she's hot and her ears are burning. This girl has zero body fat on her and is almost always cold, so this is very unusual. I'm assuming that if hormones cause hot flashes in women, they would for puberty too, right?

 

The other thing is that she is starting to "bud" (if you kwim), but only on one side. And she keeps touching it because she says it's sore. I'm fairly certain that is normal. Right? Would now be when she should have a bra? Even though there is nothing there yet but a protruding ni**le, should we go shopping?

 

Of course she has the crying and the frustration and general irritability. Good times...:thumbup1:

 

NOT.

 

I don't think my daughter experienced hot flashes but they are getting weird doses of hormones so it's possible, I suppose.

 

I bought my eldest (younger hasn't started to bloom yet) some bras at Old Navy that had just a *teeny* bit of padding in them. It provides a smooth look for that...err...transitional phase.

[abbeyej]

Well, the second part of your question (lopsided and sore development) is totally normal.

 

The first, I just don't know about. I had hot flashes when I was pregnant with ds (but not with dd, go figure), so it sure *seems* to me like it would make sense that it could come with puberty as well.

[Harriet Vane]

So is soreness. It'll even out before too long.

 

I have not heard of hot flashes, though it makes sense to me.

 

A dear friend of mine was in a boarding school as a teenager. Her mother worked at this boarding school. My friend's brother overheard my friend expressing some worry to her mother about her uneven growth in that area. My poor friend--her brother told ALL his buddies, and whenever they saw her in the hall or courtyard they would put their hands up, palms up, one hand tight to the chest area and the other hand out (as if miming "stop"). This was to mimic her uneven development. She was MORTIFIED, and even more so because they also included a hot older guy in the joke. The hot older guy never ever made fun of her in this way--thank God he was too much a gentleman to do that. My friend and the hot older guy were eventually married!

[Janna]

Hmm...I try very hard not to feed her things with added hormones - our dairy and meat is organic, hormone free (and she doesn't even consume much of that as it is). We hardly ever eat out too. I have searched online about hot flashes and puberty and it has yielded me nothing, so maybe this is something else all together. But I guess it just seemed natural to me that it would be hormone related. I wonder if it's a thyroid issue? She has a Dr. checkup next month, so I'll ask her about it if she continues with the hot flashes (which are not daily).

 

Thanks for the assurance that the other development is normal. Maybe we'll look at sports bras first...

[Jenstet]

I have a 9 year old, 10 in 2 weeks and she has had the same soreness but no hot flashes. She showed me her armpit hair today. Not just a little either. Enough that I am thinking she may need to start shaving. She has also informed me, (we have a very open family), that she has hair in other places too. I can't remember how young I was when those things started.

 

I guess it makes sense about the hot flashes though. They seem too young don't they?

[Janna]

That's a horrible story (but with a sweet ending)! Your poor, poor friend. People can be so cruel, can't they? Ugh.

[Janna]

Oh boy. Well I asked her about hair growth. She said that she didn't have any, but honestly, she could be too embarrassed to tell me.

 

Isn't it odd that we went through all of this too, but have little memory of it to be of any help? While I was typing my OP, I was thinking, "Gee, Janna. You went through this, so you should know if it's normal or not!" But honestly, I don't recall this stuff. I only remember the big day when Aunt Flo arrived. I wonder how far off that event is for dd? Oy.

[Jenstet]

We have gone over the whole "what to do when...." demonstration a few times. I don't remember my mother telling me anything about it. Now I know why, she didn't remember.

[Mrs Mungo]

Hmm...I try very hard not to feed her things with added hormones - our dairy and meat is organic, hormone free (and she doesn't even consume much of that as it is). We hardly ever eat out too. I have searched online about hot flashes and puberty and it has yielded me nothing, so maybe this is something else all together. But I guess it just seemed natural to me that it would be hormone related. I wonder if it's a thyroid issue? She has a Dr. checkup next month, so I'll ask her about it if she continues with the hot flashes (which are not daily).

 

Thanks for the assurance that the other development is normal. Maybe we'll look at sports bras first...

 

I didn't mean to imply she was getting weird doses of hormones from food. I meant their bodies are starting to produce different hormones and they come in spurts. Sorry for not being clear!

[Laura in VA]

especially in the late afternoon/evening hours. I think it started about 2 months ago. It doesn't happen every day, but it happens often. She is "budding" as well and likes the bras at Kohls and Target.

[Janna]

LOL! I understand what you're saying now.

 

I was thinking about the food aspect because it surprises me how relatively young she is (not to mention thin) and I was wondering how this could be when I have gone out of my way to avoid added hormones in food. So while your message was probably very clear, I already had food on my mind and therefore took it that way. No big deal, but thanks for the clarification anyway! :)

[Janna]

When her face is red, is she hot? The first time this happened was last Friday. I had dropped her off at a youth event at our church and when I was saying goodbye, I noticed her face was bright red. She was standing in a circle with her friends, so I assumed she was embarrassed about something. But when I picked her up that night, she was saying how hot she was and she was pressing her face up against the cold window of the car. I think she would have loved to roll down the window but it was too cold for that. It's happened maybe 3 times since then, with the last time being yesterday and it was only her ears. She didn't say that her whole body was hot, only that her ears were burning. So I dunno.... I am glad to hear of at least one other person with a daughter who has this, though! :)

[Laurie]

You can do a search on "Tanner Stages" for the sequence and approx. ages of the signs of puberty.

[Whisperlily]

I don't know about the hot flashes... so I asked my 10 year old (almost 11) DD. She said that it happens to her sometimes. She's never mentioned it to me, and if it's really "hot flashes" they must not be too bothersome.

 

I do remember when my mom bought my first bra for me... I was 12, almost 13 (late developer) and it was because my nipples would get sore rubbing against a shirt. There was nothing to support, and nothing terribly visible, but it was the soreness that led her to buy me a bra for extra protection in that area.

 

I bought my DD a bra when she was about 8, because she wanted one, but she didn't wear it regularly, and since she didn't need it I didn't insist. Just a few months ago I went official "bra shopping" mainly because she asked. Shewas starting to feel uncomfortable that she wasn't wearing one. (She still doesn't officially NEED a bra.) She does wear it every day, and so I went and bought a few more. I think this time they're here to stay. ;)

 

I also remember when a friend came to spend the night, and while we were changing into our bathing suits, she told me she was a little scared that she had a lump under *one* of her nipples and was afraid to tell her Mom. She had me feel it, (because she thought it there was something wrong with her.) Knowing my mom was a safe one to ask, we told her... and she confirmed, with a hug to my friend, that all was fine. :)

[Laura in VA]

Yes, my dd complains that she is hot. Actually, she complains that whatever room she is in is hot (which it's not). She likes to put my hands on her face because they are usually cold. She does not complain about being hot anywhere except her face. I haven't noticed whether her ears get red, so I'll ask her about it. Keep me posted!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My dd has a body type just like yours. She has had hot flashes, but only a few times. Her budding has evened out, but is still sore. I got her some sports bras (no cup, just stretchy) and that seems to help with the soreness. I think it keeps her shirt from rubbing. A camisole would probably do the same thing. She is growing hair in various parts. She sleeps a LOT. No period yet, but I'm sure it'll be soon. I'm glad we're home most of the time.

[Maria/ME]

Well, this post has made me feel better. My dd started really showing puberty signs at 8.5/9. It's so wierd that they are starting so soon! I started at 11/12 or so from what I can remember, but who knows, maybe I had signs earlier and didn't "get" it.

 

My daughter has all the same "symptoms" except or hot flashes. I'll have to ask her about it. She is very unselfconscious about the whole thing. We have some sports type bras and one with a bit of padding to even things out. They are sore. She's got the whole hair thing and not ashamed to let us know. She needs deodorant. (We use this great natural crystal stuff!) and her hair needs washing constantly now. It used to be she could go weeks...well, okay not weeks but at least one week.

 

I mostly notice the moodiness. And I have suddenly become the most embarassing mom on earth. We get along pretty good, but lately we've had some head butting. I get the moods....but ME?? EMBARRASSING??? I'm having a harder time with that.

 

Today while at the library she wanted me to take her hair out of the braids she had in ("I look like a baby!") she loved them, suddenly she hated them. Then I was speaking too loud...about a book of all things! She is constantly worried what people think. I have worked hard to imbue a sense of confidence and sense of self. Its gone out the door. I thought homeschooling would alive ate some of this...ah, well, sorry to go on and on...perhaps I should post another thread on this "embarrassment" issue...

 

Just saying: Me too! I can relate!