The Consequences of Being a Teen Mother

Health

• Teenage pregnancy can cause health risks, not only to the mother but the baby as well. During the pregnancy, the mother is at a higher risk for high blood pressure and anemia than an older mother. The baby is at a higher risk for premature birth and low birth weight. Due to the risk of premature birth, the infant's organs may not fully develop. This can cause disorders such as breathing problems, bleeding on the brain, vision loss or intestinal problems. Teenage mothers are also less likely to get proper prenatal care, which can lead to various other health and developmental problems. Babies of teenage mothers are more likely to die in the first year of life than babies born to older mothers.

School

• Less than 40 percent of teenage mothers finish high school, says the March of Dimes. Even less go on to graduate from college.

Poverty

• Due to the low number of teenage parents graduating from high school, 64 percent of them live in poverty, reports the March of Dimes. Without a proper education and job skills, many cannot find and keep jobs that properly support their family's needs. They then rely on public assistance or the assistance of family members to raise their children.

Freedom

• Teen mothers find that they lose their previous lives when they give birth. Their new lives revolve entirely around their baby. They can no longer do what they please, when they please. They most likely cannot go out with friends very often. They cannot leave their child for any reason without first finding a babysitter, and a babysitter may often be a luxury a teenage mother cannot afford.