How to Create Supportive Environments for Pregnant Teens

Pregnancy can be stressful for teenagers.

A teenager rarely becomes pregnant on purpose. More often than not, the pregnancy is unplanned and that can leave a young woman feeling scared and vulnerable. This unhappiness can be exacerbated by the reactions of friends, family and peers. A pregnant teenager needs a healthy, supportive environment both physically and emotionally to ensure that she has a healthy baby.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Treat pregnant teens with respect. This means never referring to a teenager's pregnancy as a "mistake" and learning to deal with any negative feelings you may have over the situation privately. The behavior of the people around a pregnant teenager in response to her pregnancy can have an effect on her self-esteem. Do not allow others to voice their disappointment to the teen in regards to her circumstances.

2. Encourage pregnant teens to stay with their educational goals. As many as 70 percent of teenage girls who become pregnant drop out of school (Reference 1). Too often the reaction that accompanies teenage pregnancy are suggestions that the teenager get a GED or immediately enter the workforce. This places limits on young women who may otherwise complete college.

3. Be available. When possible, rearrange your schedule so that you can attend childbirth classes and doctor's appointments with a pregnant teenager. If you cannot go with her, find someone who can. Pregnant teens may be self-conscious around other pregnant women who are older or married.

4. Plan a baby shower. Every mom to be deserves to have her pregnancy celebrated, even if the pregnancy is unexpected. A baby shower is especially important for pregnant teenagers because it is a way of acquiring baby items they may not otherwise be able to afford.

5. Home school. If a pregnant teenager is embarrassed to go to school because she feels she is making a spectacle of herself, she does not have to drop out. Home schooling is an option. There is information available on what is required to home school (References 2).

6. Encourage pregnant teenagers to spend time outside of the home with friends. Strange as it may seem, many parents and caregivers prefer that their pregnant teens remain in the home as much as possible. A shopping trip or a movie out with friends is not going to place a pregnancy in danger. In addition, restricting a teen from seeing her friends merely makes her feel more ostracized than she already may be. Unless there is reason to believe that she will be exposed to drugs and other dangers, letting her go out with her friends can be beneficial to her mental and physical well-being.

References

• When Your Teen Is Having a Baby: Preparing for New Responsibilities
• The Big Questions