Most adolescent females do not intend to become pregnant, but many do. Teenage pregnancy presents other health risks to the mother and child. Adolescents often do not receive prenatal care early enough, which can result in complications in the future. They are more likely to develop pregnancy-related hypertension and its effects. Premature delivery and low birth weight are both risks involved in teenage pregnancy for the kid.
What are the dangers?
Teens are frequently unprepared for the reality of raising an infant. Complex relationships and financial obligations, along with combining education and motherhood, are often stressful and can endanger a newborn.
Teens who are pregnant or raising a child struggle to finish school. Only 3% of teenagers who have a kid graduate from college before the age of 30.
Many teen parents are unmarried. Being a single parent can cause financial and mental stress, and a stressed parent endangers a child's health.
Baby's Health Dangers
The absence of early and regular prenatal care among pregnant teenagers, along with the fact that they are more likely than women over 25 to smoke, drink, and use social medicine while pregnant, increases the chance of having a low-birth-weight baby. Smoking also raises the chances of problems during pregnancy, early delivery, and stillbirth.
Premature childbirth
A full-term pregnancy usually lasts 40 weeks. A preterm baby, or "preemie," is born before the age of 37 weeks. Premature labour that begins too early in pregnancy can be halted in certain situations by medicines. In other instances, the baby must be born early for the mother's or the infant's health. The sooner a baby is delivered, the greater the danger of respiratory, digestive, visual, cognitive, and other complications.
Low-birth-weight baby
Teens are more likely to have low-birth-weight infants. Premature newborns are more likely to be underweight than they should be. This is due, in part, to the fact that they had less time in the womb to develop. A low-birth-weight infant weighs between 3.3 and 5.5 pounds at delivery. A newborn with an extremely low birth weight weighs less than 3.3 pounds. Babies of this size may need to be placed on a ventilator in a healthcare center newborn care unit to help them breathe after birth.
Protecting Teens from Getting Pregnant
While you cannot eliminate all potential risk factors for your child, you may take efforts to lessen the possibility that they will become a parent during their adolescence. According to research, the most essential thing you can do as a parent is to talk to your teen about reproductive healthcare.
Teens who test positive for pregnancy should be aware of their options and services, and they should act fast. Being pregnant may be an emotional and frightening experience for an adolescent, and she may be scared to notify her parents or another trusted adult.
Teens who are pregnant should immediately discontinue all medicine, alcohol, and cigarette usage. They should also follow a healthy, balanced diet and consume lots of water.