Teen Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most difficult and stressful experiences a teen might ever face. If you are a teen facing an unplanned pregnancy, you are not alone. Millions of other teens have gone through (and survived!) the same thing and most of those pregnancies were unplanned also. You may have been surprised when you found out or even hoped it wasn’t true. One of the first thoughts that may come to mind is that your life is over, fortunately, that isn’t so. Before you freak out, take a deep breath and just remember you are in charge of your life. There are many resources available to you.

Feeling ashamed, confused, overwhelmed, sad, scared and a little excited at the same time are all natural reactions at this point. You may be wondering how to break the news to your parents, what your friends’ reactions will be, as well as what effects this pregnancy might have on your relationship with your baby’s father. You may also be curious to know how your life will change, what you can do to have a healthy baby and what it takes to become a good mom. It will take a while to adjust to the fact that you’re going to have a baby, since it’s a huge change. It’s completely natural for you to wonder whether you’re ready to handle the responsibilities that come with motherhood.

You may want to know where you should go for help. It’s important to talk to people who can support you and help you sort through your feelings and options. You can go to your family, a trusted friend, your pastor or even a school counselor or nurse, depending on your situation. Sharing the news of your pregnancy can be one of the most difficult conversations to have, but you might be amazed by the support of your parents and friends.

Take good care of yourself so that you and your baby will be healthy. You need to see a doctor or gynecologist (OB/GYN) as soon as possible to begin getting prenatal care. Your doctor will prescribe prenatal vitamins for you (or recommend an over-the-counter brand), which help ensure your health as well as prevent some types of birth defects in your baby. If you get the proper prenatal care early in your pregnancy and make the right choices, you have a very good chance of preventing health problems for your baby, as well as yourself.

Read more on teen pregnancy:

—Teen Pregnancy (continued)
—Teen Statistics
—Teen Options