- There are a variety of ways to tell whether or not you're pregnant... for example:
Morning Sickness -- nausea/vomiting (it can happen throughout the day as well)
Random cravings for fatty/fried foods
Mood swings
Sore breasts
Urinating more than usual
Feeling overly tired, all the time
A missed period.
- A missed period is the most common sign of pregnancy... but it's complicated to use towards teenagers as their periods are still not regular and for those who have regular missed periods due to other things.
How To Lower Risks...
Here are some ways you can prevent these risks:
Get prenatal care
Refrain from consuming alcohol, drugs, cigarettes during your pregnancy
Take prenatal vitamins
Ask for emotional support
These are important because...
If you seek prenatal care as soon as you think you're pregnant, it can lower your potential risks during your pregnancy because your doctor will catch the early symptoms.
If you refrain from consuming alcohol/drugs/cigarettes while you're pregnant, it causes your baby to not get harmed in the womb... (it hurts them more than it hurts you!)
If you take prenatal vitamins with at least 0.4mg of folic acid everyday, it can prevent birth defects.
You should ask for emotional support because being pregnant at such a young age brings out emotions and challenges that you haven't faced before. Confide in someone that you can trust, whether it be your friends, family, doctor or even the baby's father.
- If you're a generally healthy teenager before your pregnancy, doing this, along with being healthy will increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Medical Risks...
- Although preventable, teen moms and their babies have more risks than mothers who are older... Some examples of risks are:
The Absence of Prenatal Care: teen moms need to seek prenatal care during their pregnancy. It's crucial. It allows doctors to see potential medical issues in the mother and the child, it monitors the baby's growth throughout the pregnancy, and allows doctors to quickly help the mother with any complications that she could come across during her pregnancy...
High Blood Pressure: this is a risk because teens who become pregnant are higher likely to get "Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension". It is very dangerous for the mother and child because it combines high blood pressure with protein from the urine, swelling in the face, feet and hands, and potential organ damage, which can potentially alter the baby's growth and can potentially cause premature birth.
Premature Birth: teen mothers are more at risk for a premature birth than others. This could be for many reasons, for example: the baby having to be born for medical reasons (health of the baby/mother). Premature babies are more likely to end up with problems with digesting, vision, mental stability, respiratory problems, etc...
Low-Birth-Weight: teen mothers are at a higher risk to have low-weight-babies. Premature babies usually weigh less due to the fact that they had less time to grow in the womb. A low-birth-weight baby weighs between 3.3-5.5 pounds. Babies this small (or smaller) might have to be put into an incubator (at the hospital) to help them breathe.
STD's: teens who have sexual intercourse during their pregnancy, they are more likely to catch an STD such as HIV or Chlamydia.
Postpartum Depression: this is a risk because if the mother is sad during and/or after her pregnancy, it can lead to postpartum depression.They should immediately talk to their doctor about this as it can effect taking care of their newborn.