Coping With Teen Pregnancy
- Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 4:34
- Health Care, Women's Health
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Teen pregnancies are not always safe and can place immense pressure on the mother’s body. The biggest reason for this is that a teenager’s body is in the growing stage and requires loads to nutrients in order to function and develop properly. If you are a teenager and have decided to go ahead with your pregnancy you need to follow a special diet program and take adequate amount of rest so that both your baby and you remain healthy.
Most teen pregnancies are considered to be at high risk because teenagers need additional nutrients for themselves as well as the fetus. Poor dietary habits can increase the risk of having a low birth weight baby that weighs less than 5 ½ pounds and may also develop physical or learning disabilities. Since the body is still in the developing stage most teenagers tend to have difficult pregnancies.
How to cope with a teenage pregnancy?
If your teenager has decided to go ahead with her pregnancy, it is important for you to support her and help her at every step of the pregnancy. In certain cultures it is normal for teenage girls to have children but one must understand that a pregnancy at this point of time requires close monitoring and special care.
Thus, it is essential for you to visit an obstetrician the minute you discover that you are pregnant. You can also visit a certified nurse midwife who has an advanced practice in prenatal care and specializes in the delivery of healthy babies.
It is important for the pregnant teenager to follow the recommendations for the kinds and amounts of food to be eaten. You must select a variety of low- fat, nutrient rich foods that boost calories slightly to impart enough energy for the mother as well as the fetus.
You must take at least two servings of foods high in proteins everyday such as poultry, meat, fish, eggs and dry beans. It is important for you to take at least 5-6 servings of natural cheese or yogurt everyday and also include foods that are rich in iron such as meat, fish, poultry, green leafy vegetables, etc. In order to help the body absorb iron better you must also include loads of foods rich in vitamin C in your diet.
Other foods that must be included in your diet include those rich in folate such as cereals, whole grain breads, green leafy vegetables and fruits.
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