If you've decided to have a baby, the most important thing
you can do is to take good care of yourself so that you and your
baby will be healthy. Girls who get the proper care and make the
right choices have a very good chance of having healthy babies.
Prenatal Care
See a doctor as soon as possible after you find out you're
pregnant to begin getting prenatal care (medical care during
pregnancy). The sooner you start to get medical care, the better
your chances that you and your baby will be healthy.
If you can't afford to go to a doctor or clinic for prenatal
care, social service organizations can help you. Ask your parent,
school counselor, or another trusted adult to help you locate
resources in your community.
During your first visit, the doctor will ask you lots of
questions, including the date of your last period. This helps the
doctor estimate how long you have been pregnant and your due
date.
Doctors measure pregnancies in weeks. A baby's due date is
only an estimate, though: Most babies are born between 38 and 42
weeks after the first day of a woman's last menstrual period,
or 36 to 40 weeks after conception (when the sperm fertilizes the
egg). Only a small percentage of women actually deliver exactly on
their due dates.
Timelines
A pregnancy is divided into three phases, or
trimesters
. The first trimester is from conception to the end of week 13. The
second trimester is from week 14 to the end of week 26. The third
trimester is from week 27 to the end of the pregnancy.
The doctor will examine you and perform a pelvic exam. He or she
may also perform blood tests, a urine test, and tests for
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
, including a test for HIV, which is on the rise in teens. (Some
STDs can cause serious medical problems in newborns, so it's
important to get treatment to protect the baby.)
The doctor will explain the types of physical and emotional
changes you can expect during pregnancy. He or she will also teach
you to how to recognize the signs of possible problems during
pregnancy (called complications). This is especially important
because teens are more at risk for certain complications, such as
anemia, high blood pressure, and delivering a baby earlier than
usual (called premature delivery).
Your doctor will want you to start taking prenatal vitamins that
contain folic acid, calcium, and iron as soon as possible. The
doctor may prescribe the vitamins or recommend a brand that you can
buy over the counter. These vitamins and minerals help ensure the
baby's and mother's health as well as prevent some types of
birth defects.
Ideally, you should see your doctor once each month for the
first 28 weeks of your pregnancy, then every 2 weeks until 36
weeks, then once a week until you deliver the baby. If you have a
medical condition such as diabetes that needs careful monitoring
during your pregnancy, your doctor will probably want to see you
more often.
During visits, your doctor will check your weight, blood
pressure, and urine, and will measure your abdomen to keep track of
the baby's growth. Once the baby's heartbeat can be heard
with a special device, the doctor will listen for it at each visit.
Your doctor will probably also send you for some other tests during
the pregnancy, such as an ultrasound, to make sure that everything
is OK with your baby.
One part of prenatal care is attending classes where expectant
mothers can learn about having a healthy pregnancy and delivery and
the basics of caring for a new baby. These classes may be offered
at hospitals, medical centers, schools, and colleges in your
area.
It can be difficult for adults to talk to their doctors about
their bodies and even more difficult for teens to do so. Your
doctor is there to help you stay healthy during pregnancy and have
a healthy baby - and there's probably not much he or she
hasn't heard from expectant mothers! So don't be afraid to
ask questions.
Be upfront when your doctor asks questions, even if they seem
embarrassing. A lot of the issues the doctor brings up could affect
your baby's health. Think of your doctor both as a resource and
a friend who you can confide in about what's happening to
you.
Changes to Expect in Your Body
Pregnancy causes lots of physical changes in the body. Here are
some common ones:
Breast Growth
An increase in breast size is one of the first signs of
pregnancy, and the breasts may continue to grow throughout the
pregnancy. You may go up several bra sizes during the course of
your pregnancy.
Skin Changes
Don't be surprised if people tell you your skin is
"glowing" when you are pregnant - pregnancy causes an
increase in blood volume, which can make your cheeks a little
pinker than usual. And hormonal changes increase oil gland
secretion, which can give your skin a shinier appearance. Acne is
also common during pregnancy for the same reason.
Other skin changes caused by pregnancy hormones may include
brownish or yellowish patches on the face called
chloasma
and a dark line on the midline of the lower abdomen, known as the
linea nigra
.
Also, moles or freckles that you had prior to pregnancy may
become bigger and darker. Even the
areola
, the area around the nipples, becomes darker. Stretch marks are
thin pink or purplish lines that can appear on your abdomen,
breasts, or thighs.
Except for the darkening of the areola, which can last, these
skin changes will usually disappear after you give birth.
Mood Swings
It's very common to have mood swings during pregnancy. Some
girls may also experience depression during pregnancy or after
delivery. If you have symptoms of depression such as sadness,
changes in sleep patterns, thoughts of hurting yourself, or bad
feelings about yourself or your life, tell your doctor so he or she
can help you to get treatment.
Pregnancy Discomforts
Pregnancy can cause some uncomfortable side effects. These
include:
- nausea and vomiting (especially early in the pregnancy)
- leg swelling
- varicose veins in the legs and the area around the vaginal
opening
- hemorrhoids
- heartburn and constipation
- backache
- fatigue
- sleep loss
If you have one or more of these side effects, keep in mind that
you're not alone! Ask your doctor for advice on how to deal
with these common problems.
If you are pregnant and have bleeding or pain, call the doctor
immediately, even if you are not planning to continue the
pregnancy.
Things to Avoid
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs when you are
pregnant put you and your baby at risk for a number of serious
problems.
Alcohol
Doctors now believe that it's not safe to drink any amount
of alcohol when you are pregnant. Drinking can harm a developing
fetus, putting a baby at risk for birth defects and mental
problems.
Smoking
The risks of smoking during pregnancy include stillbirths (when
a baby dies while inside the mother), low birth weight (which
increases a baby's risk for health problems), prematurity (when
babies are born earlier than 37 weeks), and sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant
who is younger than 1 year old.
Drugs
Using illegal drugs such as cocaine or marijuana during
pregnancy can cause miscarriage, prematurity, and other medical
problems. Babies can also be born addicted to certain drugs.
Ask your doctor for help if you are having trouble quitting
smoking, drinking, or drugs. Check with your doctor before taking
any medication while you are pregnant, including over-the-counter
medications, herbal remedies and supplements, and vitamins.
Unsafe Sex
Talk to your doctor about sex during pregnancy. If your doctor
says it's OK to have sex while you're pregnant, you must
use a condom to help prevent getting an STD. Some STDs can cause
blindness, pneumonia, or meningitis in newborns, so it's
important to protect yourself and your baby.
Taking Care of Yourself During Pregnancy
Eating
Many girls worry about how their bodies look and are afraid to
gain weight during pregnancy. But now that you are eating for two,
this is not a good time to cut calories or go on a diet. Both you
and your baby need certain nutrients so the baby can grow
properly. Eating a variety of healthy foods, drinking plenty of
water, and cutting back on high-fat junk foods will help you and
your developing baby to be healthy.
Doctors generally recommend adding about 300 calories a day to
your diet to provide adequate nourishment for the developing fetus.
You should gain about 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, most of
this during the last 6 months - although how much a girl should
gain depends on how much she weighed before the pregnancy. Your
doctor will advise you based on your individual situation.
Eating additional fiber - 25 to 30 grams a day - and drinking
plenty of water can help to prevent common problems such as
constipation. Good sources of fiber are fresh fruits and vegetables
and breads, cereals, or muffins that have lots of whole grain in
them.
You'll need to avoid eating or drinking certain things
during pregnancy, such as:
- certain types of fish, such as swordfish, canned tuna, and
other fish that may be high in mercury (your doctor can help you
decide which fish you can eat)
- foods that contain raw eggs, such as mousse or Caesar
salad
- raw or undercooked meat and fish
- processed meats, such as hot dogs and deli meats
- soft, unpasteurized cheeses, such as feta, brie, blue, and
goat cheese
- unpasteurized milk, juice, or cider
It's also a good idea to limit artificial sweeteners, and
drinks that contain caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
Exercise
Exercising during pregnancy is good for you as long as you are
having an uncomplicated pregnancy and choose appropriate
activities. Doctors generally recommend low-impact activities such
as walking, swimming, and yoga. Contact sports and high-impact
aerobic activities that pose a greater risk of injury should
generally be avoided. Also, working at a job that involves heavy
lifting is not recommended for women during pregnancy. Talk to your
doctor if you have questions about whether particular types of
exercise are safe for you and your baby.
Sleep
It's important to get plenty of rest while you are pregnant.
Early in your pregnancy, try to get into the habit of sleeping on
your side. Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be
the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses. Also,
it makes your heart's job easier because it keeps the
baby's weight from applying pressure to the large vein that
carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs.
Some doctors recommend that girls who are pregnant sleep on the
left side. Because of where some of your major blood vessels are,
lying on your left side helps keep the uterus from pressing on
them. Ask what your doctor recommends - in most cases, lying on
either side should do the trick and help take some pressure off
your back.
Throughout your pregnancy, but especially toward the end, you
may wake up often at night to go to the bathroom. While it's
important to drink enough water while you're pregnant, try to
drink most of it during the day rather than at night. Use the
bathroom right before going to bed. As you get further along in
your pregnancy, you might have a difficult time getting comfortable
in bed. Try positioning pillows around and under your belly, back,
or legs to get more comfortable.
Stress can also interfere with sleep. Maybe you're worried
about your baby's health, about delivery, or about what your
new role as a parent will be like. All of these feelings are
normal, but they may keep you up at night. Talk to your doctor if
you are having problems sleeping during your pregnancy.
Emotional Health
It's common for pregnant teens to feel a range of emotions,
such as fear, anger, guilt, confusion, and sadness. It may take a
while to adjust to the fact that you're going to have a baby.
It's a huge change, and it's natural for pregnant teens to
wonder whether they're ready to handle the responsibilities
that come with being a parent.
How a girl feels often depends on how much support she has from
the baby's father, from her family (and the baby's
father's family), and from friends. Each girl's situation
is different. Depending on your situation, you may need to seek
more support from people outside your family. It's important to
talk to the people who can support and guide you and help you share
and sort through your feelings. Your school counselor or nurse can
refer you to resources in your community that can help.
Sometimes girls who are pregnant have miscarriages and lose the
pregnancy. This can be very upsetting and difficult to go through
for some girls, although it may bring feelings of relief for
others. It is important to talk about these feelings and to get
support from friends and family - or if that's not
possible, from people such as counselors or teachers.
School and the Future
Some girls plan to raise their babies themselves. Sometimes
grandparents or other family members help. Some girls decide to
give their babies up for adoption. It takes a great deal of courage
and concern for the baby to make these difficult decisions.
Girls who complete high school are more likely to have good jobs
and enjoy more success in their lives. If possible, finish high
school now rather than trying to return later. Ask your school
counselor or an adult you trust for information about programs and
classes in your community for pregnant teens.
Some communities have support groups especially for teen
parents. Some high schools have child-care centers on campus.
Perhaps a family member or friend can care for your baby while
you're in school.
You can learn more about what to expect in becoming a parent by
reading books, attending classes, or checking out reputable
websites on child raising. Your baby's doctor, your parents,
family members, or other adults can all help guide you while you
are pregnant and after the baby is born.
Reviewed by:
Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date reviewed: January 2008
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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