Dealing with teen pregnancy and knowing how a family can provide help is important for the health and well-being of a teenage child. There are quite a few changes that your family might need to learn to cope with if your teen is pregnant. This might not be the plan that parents have for their children, but it’s a circumstance that occurs as roughly 250,000 teen girls in the country deliver a baby each year. Whether your teen daughter or son is going to have a baby, there are a few ways that you can offer support no matter what final decision is made regarding the outcome.

Addressing Feelings and Emotions

When you first find out that your teen is having a baby, it’s normal and common to have a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that go through your mind. Take time to process the information that you’ve received instead of jumping to conclusions and making sudden decisions that could negatively impact your child or your family. You could be shocked and could even feel disappointed about the decision that your teen made. Worry is a common emotion to feel as well, especially if your family is already struggling and you’re unsure of how your teen will support a new baby.

You could feel guilty and as though you could or should have done more to try to talk to your teen or to try to prevent a pregnancy from happening. There are parents who are embarrassed after learning that their teenager is going to be a parent while other parents are happy to be grandparents. If your teen is older and is a bit more mature or has been in a steady relationship for some time, then it could be good news instead of something that you would be embarrassed about.

Remember that your teen will need your support during this time. You want to try to communicate with each other as much as you can, taking steps back if you feel that you’re too overwhelmed. There could be a few health concerns that need to be addressed because your child is so young and having a baby. If you can offer your teen support, then it can help to alleviate some of those issues that could arise. Your feelings are valid throughout the process. You can feel happy while also feeling disappointed or angry at times. There are counselors and other professionals, as well as friends and family members, who can offer support and encouragement and who could be someone to talk to when you just need someone to listen.

Your Teen’s Thoughts

Before finding out about having a baby, your teen likely worried about what grade they would get on a test or where to go on the weekends with friends. Some of the issues that your teen might have now, especially if you have a daughter, include weight gain, not fitting in with her friends, morning sickness, and missing school as the pregnancy progresses. Your teen might keep the news a secret until the pregnancy is a few months along, which could mean that the proper prenatal care hasn’t been received. If your teen is younger, then the pregnancy is usually considered high-risk because the body hasn’t gone through all of its changes quite yet.

If you have a teen son, then he could feel afraid of the girl’s parents and what they would say to him. He could also feel guilty about his actions or could fear legal action if he chooses not to be involved in the child’s life as most states have some type of child support system in place.

You can offer advice, but try not to force a decision on your teen. This could result in them leaving home and you not talking to them for some time or even at all, which could result in not seeing your grandchild.

Concerns

Most pregnancies are usually free of major health concerns. You want to make sure your teen daughter gets proper medical care so that any issues that do arise can be addressed and treated. Some of the risks include high blood pressure, anemia, death of the fetus or infant death, and low birthweight. There are social service groups that can offer assistance if you’re unsure of who to take your teen to visit as well as assistance in getting the proper nutrients throughout the pregnancy.

The first appointments will usually consist of determining the due date, performing an examination to see if there are any STDs present, and talking about the labor and delivery process. There are a few changes that your teen can make at home to provide the best chance of the healthiest pregnancy possible. Let your teen know that any smoking, drinking, or drug use shouldn’t occur. Caffeine should be avoided if possible, and your teen should try to eat healthy meals. Your teen should also get plenty of rest while also trying to stay active during the day as tolerated. Childbirth and prenatal classes can be taken about halfway through the pregnancy.