When it comes to teen pregnancies, there is a greater risk of complication for both the mother and child. However, this risk is commonly experienced by younger teens, 
because their bodies have not yet fully physically developed and they usually have poor nutrition. These teens generally suffer the worst complications, such as severe anemia and hypertension due to pregnancy. However, the baby often suffers the most problems.
- The baby may be born premature.
- The baby can suffer from low birth weight, with difficulty gaining weight after delivery.
- The baby can suffer from mental retardation or brain damage.
- The baby could also be stillborn (born dead).
Am I Pregnant? How Can I Be Sure?
- Have you had unprotected sex recently?
- Have you missed your period? (This is usually the most obvious clue.)
- Are you experiencing nausea?
- Are you unusually tired?
- Are your breasts fuller and more tender?
- Do you urinate more frequently than usual?
- Have you noticed a change in your appetite?
Chances are, if you answered “yes” to most of these questions, you are pregnant. However, to be certain, it is best to take a test at a health center, where you can actually 
obtain a proof of pregnancy, if you really are pregnant. you could also take Home Pregnancy test, but in this case the results are some time not correct, which might panic you, so you need to double check that.
What are the options?
Your options may seem limited, but they are definitely available. They can help you determine the destiny of your baby and the type of atmosphere he/she grows up in.
Parenting:
If you choose this option, not only will you be able to watch your child grow up, you will be preparing yourself for one of the greatest and most awarding experiences ever. However, a lot of responsibilities come with parenting, which you must realize now and accept. Parenting is a lifelong commitment to your child, promising him or her the best care possible, undying love, financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual support. Your main question right now should be whether or not you are prepared to take on this kind of responsibility at this point in your life. Will you have the needed support from loved ones necessary to carry you through this?
If parenting your child is not possible, adoption may be your best choice. Even if you have any doubt in your mind right now, or your answer is “no” to the above question, take a look at your second option.
Adoption:
If this is your choice, you will still have to go through your pregnancy. During this process, the placement of your child with another family will occur. You can even help in determining which home might be best for your child, and choose to have ongoing contact after the placement. You need to be comfortable knowing your child is in 
good hands, and who better to determine that than you?
Abortions
One of the reasons a woman may opt for abortion is to be free from the burden of raising (another) child. Time, circumstances, finances, and emotional health may leave them unprepared to consider a pregnancy.
Others may feel pregnancy is an inconvenience. Younger women may consider that they haven’t completed their education and realize they still have their whole lives ahead of them. Some feel it will take too much to give a child up for adoption; plus, they are not willing to carry the child for 9 months and go through delivery.
Women who give in to the idea of abortion are often pressured into it by their partners. In many cases, these women find it difficult to choose the life of their child over their partner.
Whatever the reason, abortion should never be entered into without careful thought. The procedures can be dangerous, even life-threatening, and emotionally devastating.
Prevent Pregnancy
You may hear a lot about ‘safe sex’, however, there is absolutely no foolproof method or trick to pregnancy prevention other than abstinence (not entering into sexual contact).
Abstinence is the only way proven to work and never fails as a birth control technique. Birth control pills and other devices, the rhythm method, and the use of condoms may seem like the perfect birth control routines, but none of these methods is certain to prevent pregnancy.
Abstinence costs nothing; it just takes self-control. It is very effective and practical.
Sex is the most individual gift you can give a man. Despite the popular idea that “everybody is doing it”, that is not the truth. There are many teens and even older adults waiting until marriage to engage in sex. Do not feel pressured to have sex. Sex can lead to emotional stress, regrets, and sexually transmitted diseases. Protect yourself and your heart.
Emotional Hazards:
Pregnant teenagers require special understanding, medical care, and education–particularly about nutrition, infections, substance abuse, and complications of pregnancy. They also need to learn that using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, can damage the developing fetus. All pregnant teenagers should have medical care beginning early in their pregnancy.
Pregnant teens can have many different emotional reactions:
- some may not want their babies
- some may want them for idealized and unrealistic ways
- others may view the creation of a child as an achievement and not recognize the serious responsibilities
- some may keep a child to please another family member
- some may want a baby to have someone to love, but not recognize the amount of care the baby needs
- depression is also common among pregnant teens
- many do not anticipate that their adorable baby can also be demanding and sometimes irritating
- some become overwhelmed by guilt, anxiety, and fears about the future
- depression is also common among pregnant teens
There may be times when the pregnant teenager’s emotional reactions and mental state will require referral to a qualified mental health professional.
Babies born to teenagers are at risk for neglect and abuse because their young mothers are uncertain about their roles and may be frustrated by the constant demands of care-taking. Adult parents can help prevent teenage pregnancy through open communication and by providing guidance to their children about sexuality, contraception, and the risks and responsibilities of intimate relationships and pregnancy. Some teenage girls drop out of school to have their babies and don’t return. In this way, pregnant teens lose the opportunity to learn skills necessary for employment and self survival as adults. School classes in family life and sexual education, as well as clinics providing reproductive information and birth control to young people, can also help to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
If pregnancy occurs, teenagers and their families deserve honest and sensitive counseling about options available to them, from abortion to adoption. Special support systems, including consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist when needed, should be available to help the teenager throughout the pregnancy, the birth, and the decision about whether to keep the infant or give it up for adoption.
Telling your Partner:
Certainly the expectant father should normally be the first person that you tell of your pregnancy regardless of the situation. Even if this is not something that you had planned, he should still know as soon as possible so that the two of you can discuss options and you can let him know how you feel about the matter and any decisions that 
you may have made. If you are not yet certain how you feel about the pregnancy and what course of action you will take then you may need some time to gather your thoughts and determine your own feelings before you discuss it with him.
In the event that the pregnancy was not planned make sure that you avoid starting the conversation off on a negative note. Remember that even if the news of the pregnancy is not good news, it is important to start off by letting him know that you value your relationship with him and then follow up by stating the facts.
If this is a planned pregnancy then there are many different and delightful ways that you can let him know about his impending fatherhood. How you choose to broach the matter may depend upon your own personality. You may find that even though you have dreamed for quite some time now of making the announcement in a memorable way that you cannot help but to just blurt it out.
Progressing Pregnancy:
During the First Trimester (3-12 Weeks)
| You | Your Baby |
|
|
During The 2nd Trimester (13th-25th Week)
| You | Your Baby |
|
|
During The 3rd Trimester (26th- 38th Week)
| You | Your Baby |
|
|
Data Sourced and Compiled from different websites.
I think these site might be useful :
- Teen Pregnancy (Provides a vast coverage on this topic)
- Am I Pregnant?
- My Options
- Pregnant Teen Help
- LIVESTRONG
Recent Comments