Dear Counselor, I am worried about my sister of 15 who has recently got pregnant but has not told our parents yet. What are some of the dangers of early pregnancy or childbearing and what advice can I give my sister?
Written by Counselor at SchoolNet on 16th April, 2009
I am sorry about your sister who has got pregnant at the age of 15. At that age, she is still physically and mentally not ready to have a baby. There are a number of health risks of getting pregnant at an early age.
Most severe among the dangers of early childbearing are:
- Increased risk of both maternal and infant mortality due to the pelvic size not fully developed for delivery.
- The childbirth is likely to be more difficult.
- The baby is likely to be born too early and to weigh too little.
- Poor nutrition of mother and child.
- Increased vulnerability to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV which carry serious health risks for the mother and baby.
Pregnancy-related complications are the main cause of death in 15-19 year old girls worldwide; girls in this age range are twice likely to die from childbirth or related complications than young women aged 20-24.
You should advice your sister, first and foremost to tell your parents about her pregnancy. It may not be easy but she needs to do it as parental care and support is extremely necessary during pregnancy of a young girl.
Secondly, your sister needs to visit the health centre regularly for checkups during pregnancy to avoid many of the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth. A health worker will help to ensure a safe birth and a healthy baby by:
- Checking the progress of the pregnancy so that if problems are likely, the woman can be moved to a hospital for birth.
- Checking for high blood pressure, which is a danger to both mother and child.
- Giving the two injections which will prevent the mother and her newborn baby from tetanus.
- Giving iron tablets to prevent anaemia.
- Checking that the baby is growing properly inside the mother.
- Giving anti-malarial tablets where necessary.
- Advising on where to go or how to get help if problems arise during the childbirth.
Lastly, advise your sister to think of going back to school after pregnancy. She needs to apologize to her parents for them to support her again with school fees.