Teen Health and Pregnancy
Teen Health > Teen Health and Pregnancy
Teen health is affected greatly by pregnancy. Every year there are almost one million teen girls that become pregnant. Only one third of those who become pregnant carry their babies to full term. Another one third have abortions and the other third have spontaneous miscarriages. There's only about five percent of those girls who carry to full term that put their babies up for adoption. The United States of America has double the amount of teenage pregnancies than any other modernized country. In order for Teen pregnancy to be prevented Sex Education should be looked into more.Parents who discuss sex with their teen will usually delay the onset of teen sexual relationships and teen pregnancy.
Healthy choices for teen mothers to be are fruits, vegetables, protein, plenty of calcium, and whole grains and breads. Just as a teen needs these things to have good health, so does the baby growing inside the womb. Teen health is often not considered a major priority for those teen girls who are not pregnant, but expectant mothers need to be sure to get all the needed nutrients to be able to deliver a healthy baby. This means no smoking, drinking, binging, purging, or eating only empty calorie junk foods. Some teens may think that they will gain too much weight if they eat the meals that are nutritious for them and their baby. But with healthy eating and light exercise while pregnant, the any weight that is gained will be mostly the baby's weight and muscle that has evolved from the fat.
Some teens overlook their health and begin to binge thinking that the next meal they get will be enough for them and their baby. This is putting the baby's health at risk just as much as the teen is at risk. As a parent of a teenage pregnant girl, you should look for signs of not eating or eating like they haven't eaten in days. These could all be signs of an eating disorder that could seriously jeopardize teen health as well as the baby still in the womb.
Some ways to help your teen improve their overall health while they are pregnant is to explain to them what is happening with their changing bodies. Make sure they get the required medical attention throughout their nine months of pregnancy. Offer to exercise with them and eat the same types of foods they need to eat to help their babies grow healthy. A good book for any expectant mother is What to Expect When You're Expecting. This book is not only good for teen mothers to be, but for anyone who is expecting a new born.
Teen health should be monitored while they are pregnant. If there is excessive weight loss they should be seen by a physician as soon as possible. This could be a serious problem that could affect the health of the teen as well as the fetus. A healthy teen is a happy teen. And a happy pregnant teen will have a healthy little baby.