Chief Maxi Wendy Bulawa Agudelo maintains a passion for gift giving, and founded Period Packs in the hope of bringing smiles to the faces of young girls at a critical and oftentimes awkward point in their development--the onset of menses.
Period Packs are a creative solution to a challenge that Agudelo too faced when a young girl, raised by only her father, three brothers, and a house filled with testosterone. Getting her period was a perplexing and uncomfortable time, with very few people to turn to for support, information or guidance. Those missing elements stuck with her, and encouraged her to establish a company that delivers products to make entering womanhood a more enjoyable experience.
Agudelo is mother to three young children including a set of twins, and moonlights as a journalist—writing on parenting and special needs topics of interest.
Hi and thank you for visiting Periodpacks.com.
Many of you are likely visiting our site in search of something either for a special young lady in your life, or possibly, for yourself. I remember well getting my period. I was 13 and it was definitely a memorable experience—although not the most wonderful.
I was brought up on a farm in Upstate New York alongside three brothers and my father. As you can imagine, getting your period amid all that testosterone in rural America was interesting to say the least. The day I got my period, I remember calling my father’s office to let him know and to figure out what to do. He seemed flustered but said he’d be home soon and would bring me the things I needed. At that point I thought, ‘Okay, that’s great, but what do I do now? Do I just wad up some toilet paper in my underwear? Take a shower or a bath?’ Needless to say, I was confused. A few hours later, my father arrived home with a package of maxi pads, and uncomfortably explained that I needed to wear them and to read the instructions on the package. He also suggested I call one of my aunts. The poor man, he was so ill prepared and obviously uncomfortable that his only daughter and precious little girl was going through a monumental change. I was growing up, and similar to most fathers, mine dreaded this day as I began to transform from little girl to young woman.
Being a teenager, I felt completely awkward and didn’t really want to call my aunts to discuss ‘cousin Red.’ I instead visited the school nurse who gave me a preparation pack of sorts—containing various size pads and panty liners as well as a booklet on ‘Getting Your Period.’ Oh, the joy I felt from receiving a simple box of goodies and information. It was if I had just received the most wonderful of unexpected presents! And, that feeling of excitement stuck with me.
It interestingly came full circle when my niece Maryann got her period a few years back – at the early age of 10. I recalled how I felt during that time and wanted to do something celebratory for her. My niece is a superior athlete—a black belt in karate, and an award-winning golfer, skier and swimmer. She lives a life filled with activity and getting her period so young was not only a shock, but forced her to quickly learn how to manage it amid all her other activities. To her immense credit, she didn’t slow down one bit. And, while her parents, both physicians, had prepared her for the process of menses, I could tell that she might appreciate a little more ‘to do’ given the monumental event in her life.
After pulling together some basic necessities, I added to a lovely gift box several feminine goodies and shipped it to her with the hope that it would add an element of surprise and celebration to her prodigious event. The result? My niece loved her unexpected surprise! With her feedback and that from friends, family and colleagues, a seed was then subtly planted for a future business idea, which finally blossomed this year.
Over the last few decades, the feminine hygiene industry has made amazing strides—providing alternatives to the belts and giant maxi pads from yesteryear. Organic, reusable and disposable pads with adhesives are available, as are newer, progressive offerings like the DivaCup™. And, as young women are reaching puberty at earlier ages, it is important to educate and prepare each of them for what is biologically expected to occur.
Fortunately, I survived the awkwardness of being a young woman getting her period—in a house with four men, no less! Looking back, the unexpected gift box from the school nurse meant so much to me. It not only gave me the information and necessities I needed, but a general feeling that I was special. I hope that through our uniquely designed gift packs, my company too will impart the same comfort and excitement to the special young woman in your life. In addition, we encourage parents, grandparents, older siblings and friends, to leverage our gift giving methodology as a way to initiate dialogue about menses and turn what was a seemingly taboo subject in my teenage years into something educational and celebratory. Rather than dread or fear menses, let’s seek to make all periods, positive!
Warm regards, Wendy
