To teen parents

Innearlybabies were born to women between ages 15 and This represented an eight percent decrease in birth rates for this age group from Expectant and parenting young families have unique needs that require special attention to best promote positive short- and long-term outcomes.

A girl who has decided to have her baby should be under the care of an obstetrician, preferably someone with experience in working with adolescents. According to Dr. Late entry into perinatal care may also increase the risks. One in seven premature deliveries can be blamed on maternal smoking.

The program was comprehensive in scope, but in a neighborhood with high rates of teen pregnancy, stress was placed on pregnancy prevention education as a goal of the curriculum. Initially, I followed the loose curriculum I was given because I was new to the job, and it came from a respected source. But after a while, I started to question some of the lesson plans, since many fell into the typical trap of using fear and shame as a motivator, something that multiple studies have found simply never, ever work — and yet which are trotted out time and time again.

NCBI Bookshelf. It is clear that being a child of a teenage mother often entails numerous risks: low birth weight, complications of the mother's pregnancy and delivery, and health problems associated with poor perinatal outcomes; greater risk of perinatal death; lower IQ and academic achievement later on, including a greater risk of repeating a grade; greater risk of socio-emotional problems; a greater risk of having a fatal accident before age one; and finally, a greater probability of starting one's own family at an early age. Although there are variations from study to study, most studies that survey a representative sample from a population that has had no special interventions and is of diverse socioeconomic makeup, and that do not control for SES or other factors, find that children of teen parents are at greater risk than children of older parents for a host of health, social and economic problems.

Having the ability to check off commonly accepted parenting prerequisites — a quality education, a good job, mental and emotional stability, a safe home — can make the challenge easier to tackle and overcome. Unfortunately, adolescents who become parents often have a shortage of key life skills and other resources that are vital to the parenting process. This sad reality is supported by research showing that, on average, children who are born to teen parents are less likely to ever reach their full potential.

Teenage pregnancy can have a profound impact on a teen's life. Help your child understand the options, health risks and challenges ahead. Pregnancy can be one of the most difficult experiences a teenager faces.

Ina total ofbabies were born to women aged 15—19 years, for a birth rate of This is another record low for U. Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years. Still, the U.