Alas, Kids are having kids!!! - Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 at the time that the pregnancy ends. A pregnancy can take place after the start of the puberty before first menstrual period, but usually occurs after the onset of periods. In well-nourished girls, menarche usually takes place around the age of 12 or 13. Young people in Years 10, 11 and 12 are sexually active to varying degrees. Many teenagers have had sexual experiences, but many other teenagers have not. Sex is a decision that only you can make. It's normal to have a lot of mixed feelings about sex. Don't let anyone intimidate you into having sex as a teenager. No one has the right to force you to have sex. Some people wrongly think that they can demand that another person be sexual with them, or force them to have sex against their will. This is sexual assault or rape, and is a crime. You always have the right to say no. Even if you’ve already started it’s never too late to stop.

Too often, teen pregnancy is thought of as an adolescent female’s problem, but as they say, it takes two to tango but most of the country and media’s dialogue on the issue of teen parenthood concentrates on women. 

Adolescent males become fathers before their 20th birthday. Some teen fathers are eager to play an important role in their child’s life.  However, emotional attachment can be difficult as the majority of teen fathers do not live with their child.

If you choose to have sex, you should think about sexually transmissible infections (STIs), including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), Teenage pregnancy: You need to know that teenage pregnancy are significant contributors to primary, secondary and even university dropout rates among girls. Teen pregnancy and childbearing bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children. The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and drop out of high school, have more health problems.

You can reduce your risk through these Prevention programs

·         Have a knowledge of sexual issues such as HIV, other STDs and their prevention methods

·         Have personal values about sex, individual ability to refuse sex and abstinence.

·         Be conscious of the perception of peer norms towards sexual behaviour.

·         Avoid places and situations that might lead to sex.

·         Communication with your parents or other adults about sex

Factors that encourage teenage pregnancy are:

·         Growing up in poverty

·         Having parents with low levels of education

·         Growing up in a single-parent family

·         Having poor performance and attendance  in school or low educational aspirations

·         Family situations with regular conflict

·         family violence or sexual abuse during childhood

·         Unstable housing arrangements

·         Living in out of home care

·         Low socioeconomic background

·         Family history of pregnancies at a young age

·         Low level of maternal education

·         Low self-esteem

·         Living in rural and remote areas

Complications with teenage pregnancy

·         A delay in finding out they are pregnant can result to late or no antenatal care

·         Poor eating habits during pregnancy

·         Not knowing how to access services for early antenatal information and healthcare

·         Emotional immaturity, resulting in high levels of emotional distress.

·         Social issues for teenage pregnancy.

Children of adolescent fathers often face challenges as well. Studies have found that children who live apart from their fathers are more likely to be reared in low-income homes and are at an increased risk for poor health. Also, recent research shows that sons of adolescent fathers are nearly twice as likely to repeat the cycle of young parenthood and become teenage dads themselves. Teen fathers frequently feel they have to get a job and drop out of school to work. Teen fathers are more likely to get involved with criminal behaviour, including alcohol and drug abuse, and drug dealing. Depending on their age, teen fathers can also face charges of statutory rape. Teen dads most times don’t marry the mother of their child. Daughters born to adolescent parents are more likely to become teen mothers themselves. A son born to a teenage mother is also more likely to be wayward. The maternal mortality rate can be up to five times higher for girls aged 10–14 than for women aged 20–24. Illegal abortion also holds many risks for teenage girls. Complications of pregnancy result in the deaths of some teen girls. Young mothers and their babies are also at greater risk of contracting HIV. Some teen mothers experience another pregnancy within two years of having their first.

Supports/help for teenagers

Parents, guardians, caregivers, counsellors, pastors and teacher’s should also play an important role in helping teens make healthy choices about relationships and sex. Provide confidential, respectful, and culturally appropriate youth-friendly services that meet the needs of teen. Talk with teens about: sex, discuss normal physical, emotional, and sexual development how and when to say "no" to sex and encourage them to have a mutually respectful and honest relationship. Encourage teens to delay sexual activity. Encourage teens who are not sexually active to continue to wait.

Parents need to know where their teens are and what they are doing, particularly after school, be aware of their teen's use of social media and digital technology (e.g., cell phones and computers).

Let your teens know they are responsible for preventing pregnancy and resisting peer pressure to start having sex until they are older. Provide age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education for all young people, invest in girls’ education, prevent child marriage, sexual violence and coercion, building gender-equitable societies by empowering girls and engaging men and boys and ensuring adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive health information.

Raising a baby is hard, whether you're a teen mom or a teen dad. Deciding what to do when faced with teen pregnancy can be a confusing and anxious time for a teenager. At this time, they need the support from parents, families, friends, counselors and pastors.

These supports can help the teenager continue with the pregnancy and then raise the child or give the child up for adoption (give the baby to another family who then become the legal parents of the child and raise the child as their own) or foster care (have the child live with and be cared for by another family until the teenager is old enough to take care of the child. During this time, the birth parents can have regular contact with the child) so the teenager can continue with his/her education.  The use of condoms, birth control and contraceptives for unmarried teens and Abortion which is to end or terminate the pregnancy should not be encouraged as Christians.

It is important that both boys and girls are educated about teen pregnancy. While it takes two people to get pregnant, it only takes one to prevent it. You can be that one– be bold and speak up!