teenage pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy

I read in an article that a group of teenagers made a pact to get pregrant and train the children together! Oh God!

Imagine such a bizarre agreement. What do these babies know about making babies?

What do they know about staying up late to breastfeed and taking care of an infant (normal infant) What do they know that can go wrong when an infant is sick? What financial care do they know is involved in taking care of babies. The question goes on and on..

How do you handle a pregnant teenage daughter?

Before the pregrancy

A parent owes a duty to educate a teenager especially girls of the how and wherefore’s of getting pregnant. In our sex education talks, we should not skirt around the topic. (my mum told me that I should not allow ‘boys’ to ‘touch’ me)! I have since discovered that touch is a mere tip of the iceberg.

In our discussions with teenage girls, we should be discreet. While respecting that they will make individual choices, we need to let our teenage girls know that sexual contact with the opposite sex can and will most likely (if contact is repeated) result in pregnancy. Educate them about preventive measures to take, if they decide to have sexual contacts with the opposite sex.

After the pregnancy

The deed is done. No need crying over spilt milk!

Once you discover that your teenager is pregnant. I advise the following steps:

Visit a health practitioner, preferably a gynaecologist.

Know the stage of the pregnancy. Educate the child and yourself on the latest precautions and steps to take to a successful pregnancy. Determine the state of health of the mother (your teenage daughter) and foetus.

Determine the paternity of the baby’s father.

Communicate with your pregnant teenager about her choices: keep the baby, give the baby over, marry the father, etc

Discuss with the father (if known) the role he wishes to play in the life of his baby

Give support psychologically to your teenager.