Teenage Pregnancies
Rate of teenage childbirths is going up and just in USA. There are approximately one million of teenage pregnancies. Most of these pregnancies are not wanted and the biggest risk is in postponement of prenatal care or not having it at all. Sense of fear of revealing the pregnancy and late pregnancy testing are the main reasons for missing prenatal care.
Nutrition and Things to be AvoidedSince a teenager is still growing it needs additional nutrition supplements for both mother and the baby. Nutritionist or any other medical worker can advise a mother concerning vitamins requirement and proper diet. If mother doesn’t have appropriate nutrition it can lead to anemia.
Problems lie also in abuse of harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. These substances can harm the baby, lead to premature labor, and provoke other pregnancy complications. Babies that are born preterm or with low weight can suffer from many health problems such as brain damage, physical disabilities and others. On the other hand, prolonged stay in hospital can put the mother under stress.
Appropriate prenatal care, monitoring and right nutrition are requirements for healthy pregnancy. Also, support of the family and education are necessary for the young mother. If teens look for safe and healthy pregnancy, they should lead a healthy life and receive early prenatal care.
Teen Pregnancy Complications
Low Birth Weight
Babies of mothers under 15 are at the highest risk of being born with low birth weight which is between 3.5 and 5.5 pounds. Causes are bad eating habits, immature reproductive organs, use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs and pregnancy complications like high blood pressure.
Premature Labor
Premature labor is one that starts before 37 weeks gestation and possibility of this is bigger due to teenagers’ undeveloped reproductive organs that cannot carry the pregnancy to the end. Another cause of premature labor are rare sexually transmitted diseases.
High Blood Pressure
Due to additional circulatory load during pregnancy immature cardiovascular system handles this with difficulties and it can lead to higher blood pressure i.e. hypertension (PIH). PIH can lead to more serious health problem that is known as preeclampsia. Preeclampsia includes high blood pressure, swelling of face, hands and feet and presence of proteins in urine. Preeclampsia can provoke heart problems during pregnancy and affect birth weight and growth.
Anemia
Lack of iron in blood cells create anemia. Low iron level blood cells are not effective in oxygen transmission which is vital for placenta and the baby takes iron from mother. Anemia can be prevented and treated with iron supplements and foods with rich source of iron.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...