Pregnancy and Parenting

 Many places offer free or low-cost support for new parents and people who are about to be parents, including counseling, parenting classes, and classes on dealing with stress (because seriously, as cute as those little babies are, it is hard to be a parent). There are also resources like the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program that help you provide your child with healthy meals. I’ve included some links on this page to places that can help you if you decide keeping your baby is the right choice for you.

Like any other challenges in life, support from family and friends is important. If there are people who you are close to who can help out with things like parenting advice and child care, it can make having a baby easier to deal with. If these are not options for you, there are other people that can help you with this stuff.

Creating a family and having a little person in your world who loves you and that you love is amazing, but my Aunt Lucia says that being a parent is the toughest job you could ever have. She also says that girls who have babies when they are young have a much tougher time finishing school and getting a job that can support them and their kids.  So it’s important to talk with your parents or another trusted adult so they can help you can deal with all this.

Many people look forward to having a child at some point, but the truth is that parenthood takes many people by surprise (teens and adults alike). Being a parent can change your life in many ways.  Some challenges can be things like cost (diapers, baby food and those cute baby clothes), finding childcare, staying in and doing well in school and even finding time for yourself to just chill. After all, if you haven’t finished growing up yourself, it can be extra hard to be a parent.

You may also need to make some major lifestyle changes in order to deliver a healthy baby. For example, some physical activity may be harder for pregnant women. Smoking anything (cigarettes, weed or other drugs), drinking alcohol, doing any kind of drugs, having unhealthy eating habits, and even not getting enough sleep can all negatively impact your pregnancy. And if you decide to have a baby, it’s up to you to make sure you give it a healthy start.  That’s why it’s really important to talk with your doctor to see what prenatal health care and lifestyle changes they recommend for you.Did you know that more that 80% of women will give birth at some point in their lifetime? The good news is that most of these births will take place without any problems.  However, sometimes there can be problems that affect the mother or her baby.  Some women develop medical problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes (high blood sugar), because they are pregnant.  There can also be more serious complications during birth like infections or bleeding.  In addition, some women can experience depression during and after a pregnancy, which can make it hard to take care of their babies. Although the health risks for pregnant women are low, if you're thinking about pregnancy, you should educate yourself about the risks.  

Find out more about the health risks of pregnancy.

My Aunt Sally says that health risks related to pregnancy are not as common as they used to be because of better care before, during and after pregnancy, but sometimes complications from pregnancy can still occur.

A pregnancy and a baby will have a big effect on your life (yeah, I know you’re thinking, “Like I didn’t know that already”). When you are pregnant, you need to go to the doctor much more often to make sure you and your baby are healthy.  This is called ‘prenatal care,’ since prenatal means before birth.

Some teens who find out they’re pregnant want to continue their pregnancy and become parents.  If you decide you want to have a child and raise it yourself, I totally respect that, and you should know that there are resources out there to help you. There are some things you need to think about before you make your decision.