Premature babies (aka “Preemies”)
have not had enough time and nutrition for their organs to fully
develop and reach a healthy weight, so they are more likely to die
within the first year. Even if they live, “preemies” and low
birth-weight babies (also very common among teens) are at a much
higher risk of serious health problems than other babies. When I say
“low birth-weight”, I'm talking about babies between 3.3 and 5.5
pounds; such babies often need intensive neonatal care to help with
basic functions like breathing and heartbeat because the organs that
perform these functions are not fully developed. Low birth-weight
babies also have an increased risk of digestive problems, mental
retardation and other cognitive difficulties. Granted, “risk”
does not mean “certainty”, but the chances are high enough to
warrant careful consideration. Low birth-weight is usually caused by
the mother not getting proper nutrition or gaining enough weight with
the pregnancy, although habits such as smoking and drinking can do
this too.
Anemia-a deficiency of iron-can be
harmful anyway, but is especially problematic in a pregnant teenager.
Teenagers are less likely to have good eating habits or gain enough
weight during their pregnancies to give the baby adequate nutrition.
Plus, since they're still growing themselves, even fewer resources go
to the baby of a teenager than an adult. Iron is what helps the blood
deliver oxygen to the rest of the body, so not having enough can
cause a lot of problems to a developing fetus. This can be avoided by
taking iron supplements and eating an iron-rich diet but, if a mother
isn't getting the prenatal care I mentioned above, she won't know to
do this.
I think one reason teenage mothers
don't gain enough weight is because they don't want to “show”;
they don't want everyone to know they're pregnant early on or to
“look fat”. I don't say this to crack on teenagers in general so
much as to say that some of the younger (say, 14-15) girls might not
be mature enough to realize that this is a real person
inside her who is dependent on her and whose needs she'll have to put
before her own for the rest of her life, or at least the next 18
years. Even if she does
understand that, “showing” at school can open a girl up to a lot
of gossip and scorn from other classmates that certainly doesn't help
matters. Like I said above, I'll go over the emotional issues in
another post.
Hopefully
I've given you some food for thought. I don't say these things to
scare you so much as to state what can happen. The details of what to
do if your daughter becomes pregnant are things that should be
discussed within the family and/or with a doctor. Hopefully you'll
never have to have that conversation but, if you do, at least you
have a jumping-off point.
