Hi there and welcome! Our 10.5 mnth old Willow just began her first heat. Everyone said you would be able to tell by both her swelling and bleeding. She definitely swelled up (the difference is quite visible) and as for the bleeding, it is very minimal...she is pretty small though, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I noticed the swelling on Saturday and took a tissue and wiped her a bit and lo and behold, there was blood. She is very clean and keeps cleaning herself. The bleeding is so minimal that she is not leaving drops everywhere....someone said the first heat could almost go unnoticed...I hope this helps because I felt just like you a week ago!
