Prenatal Care For Teen Pregnancy
Despite the current health programs in schools and youth centers or lack thereof, teen girls will still become pregnant in the years to come. The most recent recording of the teen pregnancy rate has shown a 3% increase which translates to: out of 1000 pregnancies 72 of them are young women (2006). Most teen pregnancies are unexpected and unwanted which has induced a 50% rise in abortion rates. But for the number of teen pregnancies that go full term prenatal care is extremely important for the baby and the mother.
In teen pregnancies denial and disbelief are common reasons that pregnant teens often don’t seek prenatal treatment until later in their pregnancy. “In its January 2010 report, the Guttmacher Institute notes that 7 percent of teen mothers receive either late or no prenatal care.” 7% is pretty low but for a women who’s younger than 20 delivering a baby can cause complications such as prematurity and low birth weights.
Due to the fact that teen girls don’t have fully developed bone structure can make teen pregnancies more complex, this is largely a concern with younger girls, 13-15 years of age. Pregnant teens tend to need more nutritional support for herself and her developing baby. In fact nutritional counseling is a large part of prenatal care, during prenatal care visits topics of nutrition such as prenatal vitamins, folic acid, mineral supplements, and how to cope with food cravings among other things are all discussed. Diet and nutrition is especially important for unexpected teen pregnancies because “eating disorders are rampant among teens; this coupled with the embarrassment about the pregnancy, and its advertisement of her sexual activity, may compound her feelings about getting bigger.” Becoming pregnant also presents an immediate lifestyle change any old habits that include substance abuse need to end abruptly. Teens in particular may not grasp the importance of avoiding alcohol or drugs, which also means they are likely to not share that part of their life with their obstetrician or midwife.
Before teen pregnancy was as widely accepted in American culture there were very little state programs available for young mothers, but fortunately today there are several that provide physiological support and financial support as well as prenatal care. The Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program acts as temporary well fare for those who are experiencing significant difficulty making money or paying bills. Another federal program is called the Women, Infants and Children program this program aid mothers by supplying money for food, nutrition education and guidance for finding an appropriate health care provider. Along with federal programs individual states have their own assistance programs set up as well. The New York Civil Liberties Union supports teen mothers by making sure they know their rights, and their rights are protected. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services also supply a lot of information about options for teen moms and information on several state programs too.
Citations:
Frye, Anne. Holistic midwifery: a comprehensive textbook for midwives in homebirth practice. Care during pregnancy. 1. Labrys Pr, 1998. 931-933. Print.
Lewin, Tamar. "After Long Decline, Teenage Pregnancy Rate Rises." New York Times 1/26/10, Print.
Weiss, Robin. "Teen Pregnancy." (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Apr 2011. <http://www.marchofdimes.com/medicalresources_teenpregnancy.html>.
Wessling, Susan. "Benefits for Teen Mothers." (2010): n. pag. Web. 6 Apr 2011. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/187518-benefits-for-teen-mothers/>.
http://www.guttmacher.org. GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE, 4/1/11. Web. 6 Apr 2011. <http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_MAPC.pdf>.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteOften times teens who are pregnant do not seek proper care. Potentially a result of being in denial or the lack of state programs provided for these women.
I enjoyed reading your piece. A topic that us very relevant to us and our lives. I appreciate you taking such a simple topic and researching it in more depth. A valuable aspect of your piece were the facts you used to support you claims. "The most recent recording of the teen pregnancy rate has shown a 3% increase which translates to: out of 1000 pregnancies 72 of them are young women (2006). Most teen pregnancies are unexpected and unwanted which has induced a 50% rise in abortion rates."
You wrote about teen pregnancy and the lack of prenatal care that they receive.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the part about how teenagers struggle with eating disorders and do not necessarily understand the importance of giving up drugs and alcohol was very important. While older mothers have a lot on their hands, we must realize that teen mothers need a different kind of support, as they have so much social pressure upon them, especially for something they do not necessarily want to go through.
This matters to me because it is about people in my age group. Just to be aware of this is important. Everyone hears about how to not get pregnant, but not necessarily what to do once you're pregnant. I think you clearly demonstrated the importance of prenatal care for teens here.
Maybe next time you could find a couple examples of teens and their stories.
As some constructive criticism. something that may help in the future is the structure of your paper. try separating into more defined arguments.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys,
ReplyDeleteYeah i was particularly interested in prenatal care for pregnant teens because i can relate to it in the sense that i'm a teenage girl. i also think that its important that the girl continues getting support after she tells her loved ones that shes pregnant. i would have certainly enjoyed speaking with young women who had either experienced a teen pregnancy or were currently pregnant, but i was not fully educated about the background info. if i were to do a second stage of my research i would be interested in making a brochure/flyer/website and would also have discussions with teen moms.
oh and yes Arden, that could certainly be useful when i outlined it and wrote it i was more focused on if each paragraph had a central idea and if they flowed more then having concrete arguments.
You artfully use statistical evidence to demonstrate the deferent needs they have. You discuss the available programs and assistance they can obtain.
ReplyDeleteThis could at some point relate to any girl that I know. It is a serious issue that you address well.
although your writing was very informative, It would have been nice to hear a personal narrative from a pregnant teenager. Yet understand that is extremely difficult to find.