In today’s mindset of viewing sex as an expression or proof of love, more and more teenagers are succumbing to using it as a way to gauge the love of their partners. As such, it has resulted in a skyrocketing number of teenage pregnancies, and consequently in the number of teenage abortions.
But what do you do if you are a teenager and you discover you are pregnant? What if you are one of those who want to carry the baby full-term even if everyone else around you tells you not to? How do you go about knowing what to do if, for example, even the baby’s daddy does not want any involvement at all? Here are some things you can do in order to cope with this difficult situation:
1. Understand that every baby is a gift. Given that you have opted to keep the pregnancy, you probably already have a similar idea, but in any case, you may still suffer a stigma from other people. Before anything else, you need to understand that you are special and it is no accident you are the mommy of this particular baby. There is a special purpose why it has happened, and now you need to focus on giving the best care for the baby you are carrying. It is in no way the baby’s fault why you would be undergoing the next nine months.
2. Talk to your parents. Although they may be angry with you at first, they are still your parents and sooner or later they will be willing to forgive you and support you. If ever they are not yet ready, it is perfectly normal, and you can just go ahead taking care of the baby you are carrying while you wait for them to cool down.
3. In the absence of parents who can help you, try to find a trusted adult. It could be a friend’s mom, an older friend, or even older members in religious organizations whom you know can empathize with your plight. During this tumultuous time in your life, you not only need physical care but emotional support is very crucial as well. Your support group could be a group of friends who may or may not have gone through a single pregnancy. If anything, they can share insights about pregnancy that can become invaluable information for you as you go through the same things. Also, they can help you make the best decision particularly if you are still in school and worrying about what to do once the baby comes. If ever you will need to stop school, bear in mind that it can be a temporary setback but it does not mean you will not ever get to go back to school.
4. Find an obstetrician as soon as possible. It would be best to get recommendations from trusted mothers, but even if you do not have any recommendations, you can ask the local clinic receptionist. It would be even better if you find one who has the most experience dealing with teenage pregnancies, since, as mentioned earlier, there are more than physical needs for cases like yours. The doctor you pick should be able to offer moral and not just medical support.
5. Do your research. Not only are the teenaged years a difficult time to go through a pregnancy, it becomes even harder when you are not equipped with information on what to expect. In the absence of people who can tell you, you can consult sources like pregnancy books and even resources in the Internet just for your peace of mind that everything is going as it should be.
6. If you are worrying about how you will be able to support the baby financially, consult your doctor first about what jobs you will still be able to do. Every pregnancy is unique, and even if you have always been physically active, it is never a guarantee that the pregnancy is perfectly safe. Once you get your doctor’s go signal, you can go ahead finding a part-time job. If anything, these few years have welcomed many home-based jobs that you can probably look into, such as freelance writing, freelance graphic design, and similar other tasks that are at least not as physically taxing for pregnant women.
These are just the basic things that need to be tackled when you are a teenager and find yourself pregnant. Just know that there is hope and it is possible to raise a baby even as a single mom.
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