Becoming a mother is no easy task, especially if you are in your teen years. This is a time when most things come easy, but having a child is a whole new ballgame. Here are 7 problems teen moms face. Some of these problems are inevitable and others can be overcome with help of friends and family. There are a few teens that are fortunate enough to have little to no difficulties at all, but these individuals are rare.
This is a hard problem to face when the teen mom used to be an avid party girl. A loud and potentially wild party filled with teenagers is no place for a baby to be, which often puts a damper on the party scene. Another aspect of the type of social difficulty that can arise is trying to continue to do spur of the moment things that most teenagers get to do. Now that there is another human being to take into consideration it’s a bit more difficult to be spontaneous.
A woman’s body is still growing when she is in her teens; sometimes all the way up until the age of 21. Carrying a child puts a lot of physical strain on a woman’s body. This can be even more detrimental for a teenage girl, due to her physical maturity level. Many teens are still trying to get a handle on their own personal issues at hand, let alone dealing with hormonal changes and major physical alterations taking place.
Many adults tend to think teenage girls are stupid for getting pregnant. I was 19 when I had my son, but it was still young enough that I had many adults ask my why on earth I’d want to be pregnant at such a young age. They thought I was flushing my future down the toilet. They changed their tune after I put myself through college while home-schooling my son as well.
It’s difficult to continue to hang out with friends after having a baby; at least it is when you are a teen mom. Hanging out with a group of friends who are in their 20s and raising babies of their own is a lot easier to do, since you all are on the same wavelength. When you are a teen, the activities that are considered to be a lot of fun aren’t always a great idea for dragging your new baby to. Sometimes friends decide they don’t really want to hang out with their friend and her new baby. Being shut off from friends who you thought were supportive is a real letdown.
This is still a problem for some teen moms, but not as big of a problem as it used to be. Having a supportive family helps a lot with keeping on track in school. My mom helped watch my son while I took a couple of night classes so I wouldn’t get too far behind after his birth. By receiving support from my family, I was able to only be a semester behind of my original college graduation date.
My son weighed a whopping 4 pounds and was a month and a half early. This was due to complications, but it isn’t an uncommon weight for babies born to teen mothers either. There are an awful lot of preemies born to teenage girls. Thankfully the advancements in medicine have been able to provide all the necessary aid needed for preemies to get the boost they need, right from the start. A low birth weight increases the risk of SIDS, infections, the inability to stay warm, neurological problems, and a number of other health issues.
Very few people are prepared for the expenses that arise from having a child in the first place. However, it can be even more difficult for a teen mother, due to a number of issues. Most teen moms haven’t completed their education, they haven’t settled on a career yet, and they don’t have a savings set aside for the birth of their child. These are all things that come much easier over time and make it twice as hard to have a baby when you are a teenager.
Despite these 7 problems teen moms face, there are still a whole slew of additional problems that kids born to teen moms can face in the future. I’m not saying that plenty of kids born to teen moms don’t grow up to be healthy happy kids, but I do know quite a few who have had a very rough time making their way in life. What other issues do you think teen moms face?
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