by Kimberly Smart

Created on: April 28, 2008   Last Updated: April 29, 2008

Thirteen years ago I was pregnant, seventeen and scared. I thought that my world was over. Now I am thirty years old. I have my college degree. I have worked as a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Trainer/Advocate for many years. I also tutor, teach and write on the internet out of my home for a living. I can hardly even remember that teenage girl who felt so scared and alone.

The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the entire Western world. Over the next twelve months one million teens will become pregnant. Ninety-five percent of these pregnancies are unintentional. Forty percent of these pregnancies are to young woman who are seventeen or even younger. Almost half of all teen mothers end up on welfare. Less than one-third of all teens who have had babies before the age of 18 finish high school. Teen mothers and moms have higher infant mortality rates than mothers in their 20s and 30s. These are some pretty grim statistics. It does not have to be such a horrible situation though. Yes a teen pregnancy is not the ideal situation but it absolutely does not have to be the end of the world.

There are many things that can be taken to have a safe and happy pregnancy. The number one thing I could recommend is if it has not happened already been done talk to your parents. I know that it seems like a very, very daunting task. If you can not talk to a parent talk to another adult but you have to talk to someone. This is a very important time and you will need some sort adult support. If seeking out a loved one just is not possible than try contacting a social worker or a school guidance counselor. It is these peoples job to help during these times.

The next step is to get prenatal care as soon as possible. It is very important for the mother's health as well as the babies' to have medical care as soon as possible. It is the law in most states that teens can get prenatal care with or without a parent's permission. If it is with the parent permission the care would most like be through the parent's health insurance. If a teen decides to try and take care of the pregnancy on their own than most states have some form of health insurance that pregnant woman can obtain through their state. The steps o figuring out how to do this can be found by simply typing into any search engine on the internet "free prenatal care " and the state. It is very important to go to every prenatal visit and take any medications and follow diet that the doctor might recommend. It also might be a nice idea to join a teen pregnancy support group.

It is very important for a teen to realize that it is not the end of the world being a pregnant teen. There is no reason a teen can not still succeed in life and meet their goals it will only have to be in a different way.

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