I'm going to a softball tournament but my stomach started aching so I told my mom then when I finished using the restroom when I wiped spots of blood showed up what does that mean

Spots of blood and an aching tummy mean your first period might be starting right now.

Tell your mom about the spots too, so she can help you grab supplies before you head out, and if you're not 9 yet, or it turns out not to be a period, she can get a doctor to check. A crampy ache in your lower tummy happens because the uterus is a muscle that squeezes to shed its lining, and stronger squeezes are what hurt. Seeing a little bit of pink or brown blood when you wipe is often the very first sign that bleeding is beginning.

Here is what you can do for your tournament:

• Put on a pad or period underwear before you leave the house so you feel protected while you play.
• Pack a couple of extra pads in your softball bag just in case you need to switch things out between innings.
• Let your mom know how your tummy is feeling so she can help you manage any pain.

Change your pad every 4 to 6 hours, sooner on heavy days. Most people bleed for 3 to 7 days, and a first period can be much shorter and lighter. Tell a grown-up if you need a new pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours, your period lasts more than 7 days, you pass clots bigger than about 2.5 cm, blood leaks through to your clothes or bed, you miss normal things because of your period, or you feel tired or out of breath a lot. Also, tell a grown-up if the pain stops you doing normal things like school, doesn't get better with the pain relief a grown-up gives you, or keeps getting worse from one period to the next.

You can play sport on your period, and taking it easy when you don't feel well is fine. If cramps are bad enough to stop you, tell a grown-up so a doctor can check: that's not something to push through. There are medicines that help period pain, and a grown-up decides if you take one, which one and how much, for your age and weight. A heat pad, or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel that a grown-up fills, can help too, and in a few small studies heat worked about as well as medicine.