Teen_Pregnancy

While reading through all of the chapters in class and at home, I was trying to think about what topic grabbed my attention the most throughout the chapters. Out of all the topics and subjects talked about, I decided to do my research paper on teen pregnancy. At Greenwood High School there are many pregnant girls roaming around and now there are television shows about teen mothers and just recently this topic struck my attention. Ever since television shows about teen mothers and moving on up into high school and seeing these mothers it made me wonder what all was really going on with teen pregnancy. I feel like there is an underlying cause to this outburst in the recent years making teen pregnancy likely to see in the younger generation of girls. I have an extremely strong interest in this topic. Researching would not be hard for me because there is so much information out in the world about teen pregnancy and having all my unanswered questions finally being answered will be great. Becoming pregnant at such a young age will come with complications. Many teens that are pregnant are less likely to seek medical care during pregnancy (Bodeeb). Without proper medical attention there can be major complications for the baby and the mother that can include high blood pressure, anemia, and toxemia. Babies also born to teen mothers have a higher risk of being premature and having a low birth weight (Bing Health). Many teens need their parents to promote a healthy lifestyle while they are pregnant. Numerous ways to receive proper care for the teen mother and her baby is getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases, seek prenatal care, stay physically active, eating healthy, and avoid risky substances like alcohol or drugs (Bing Health). Inquiring about prenatal medical services is vital to any expecting mother, especially if they are a teen. Adolescents that are sixteen years of age and younger may still have pelvic bones growing and not fully developed yet (Cheour). Teen mothers are also at a higher risk for infant mortality. In 1970, the infant mortality rate was twenty to one thousand and that number has dropped to about seven deaths in 2003 (Lachner). Being a teen mother can be hard enough and all the medical things that can go wrong make it even worse. Along with just normal physical changes, emotional affects on teen’s life can change dramatically after giving birth. When young adolescents become pregnant it is likely for them to lose support from friends, family, or boyfriend and having these kinds of changes along with prenatal hormones can cause depression. Around ten percent of new moms go through a specific type of depression called postpartum depression, which can occur within one month of giving birth (Bolyn). During postpartum depression the mothers have trouble bonding with their infants along with overwhelming sadness, fatigue, and having trouble concentrating. All of the changes that happen so fast for teen mothers puts them on an emotional rollercoaster. Along with medical and emotional problems for teen mothers there is usually financial problems as well. According to teen statistics, teen mothers are more than likely living in poverty already (Teen Statistics). If the teen does not have emotional support from their parents as well as financial they will have to move out on their own with their child. Having a newborn is not an easy thing on your wallet so the teens are forced to drop out of school to take care of their child. The California Department of Education found that approximately seventy percent of pregnant teenagers in the state of California dropped out of school (Roth). Mothers not having education can greatly impact the rest of their life with their baby like they will have a hard time finding a high paying job in the future. Reading an article on The New York Times was remarkable and it hit every point that needed to be made. In 2006 the birth rate for teen mothers rose three percent, the greatest jump since 1991. The article talked about how teens today do not use contraception as much as they should be and what we should do to prevent it. The only problem I see in this article is that it should have talked more about the statistics and not so much what the current president is trying to do for the problem. After researching teen pregnancy I look at it a completely different way. I knew many girls were getting pregnant but I did not fathom really how many there were. In South Carolina a teen aged from ten to nineteen will become pregnant every forty-nine minutes (Campaign Prevent Pregnancy). As the years go by more and more teens are becoming pregnant and less are using contraceptives. There are more problems than just getting pregnant; these girls are dealing with medical, emotional, and financial issues that are going to be carried with them and their child for the rest of their lives. I recommend that girls and boys use contraceptives. The only sure way that you will not become pregnant is abstinence, but many teens have sex and if they have sex they might as well use protection. References Bodeeb, J. (n.d.). Effects Of Teenage Pregnancy | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/86972-effects-teenage-pregnancy/ Bolyn, M. (n.d.). About Teenage Mothers & Depression | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/136548-about-teenage-mothers-depression Cheour, M. (n.d.). Complications In Teenage Pregnancy | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/193480-complications-in-teenage-pregnancy HARRIS, G. (n.d.). Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since ’91 - New York Times. NY Times Advertisement. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/health/06birth.html'fta=y Home | South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (n.d.). Home | South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.teenpregnancysc.org/ Lachner, D. (n.d.). Teen Mothers & Infant Mortality | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/233972-teen-mothers-infant-mortality Roth, E. (n.d.). Problems Teen Mothers Face | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://livestrong.com/article/146191-problems-teen-mothers-face teen pregnancy - Bing Health. (n.d.). Bing. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-MAMY00820/Teenage-pregnancy-Consider-the-options'q=teen+pregnancy&qpvt=teen+pregnancy+