According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry babies born to teen mothers here in the United States are at risk for school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness that may last a lifetime. The reason these babies are at risk is because there parents may not know their roles as a mother, being a mother requires patience, medical care, being aware of infections, substance abuse, and the many complications that pregnancy causes. While pregnant teenage girls need to become aware of the damage that can be done to the fetus if drugs or alcohol are being used during the pregnancy. Premature Babies Teenage mothers are more likely to give birth prematurely than mothers that are over the age of twenty. Mothers under the age of twenty are also more likely to have pregnancy complications, anemia, & high blood pressure, this risk is even greater for teens under the age of fifteen. Babies that are born to teen parents are more likely to be low-birthweight or be born prematurely. The babies that are born prematurely are more likely to pass away in the first year of their life. In 2005 16.4 out of 1,000 babies who had parents under the age of fifteen died.
The Mother's Health Smoking, doing drugs, drinking alcohol, and eating unhealthy are the main causes in increased health problems among babies. Pregnant teenagers are more likely to smoke than women ages 25-34. 17% of pregnant teens smoked in 2004 compared to the 10% of women ages 25-34. Keep Healthy There are simple ways that you & your baby can stay healthy during a pregnancy!
Get prenatal care
Eat healthy & maintain a healthy weight
Do not smoke; if you do try your hardest to quit
Do not drink while pregnant
Infections Out of the 19 million sexually transmitted infections reported each year 9 million affect the girls ages 15-24.