E.+Persuasive+Research+Essay

In the United States the pregnancy rate is twice that of Canada and England and seven times that of the Netherlands. Even though the rate in America is declining it is still an epidemic that is taking over our country. Teenage pregnancy is a typically a negative change in a young women’s life because it is an overwhelming change that brings on lot of stress, many severe health issues are presented for both the worth and child, and sadly the odds are always against the teen mom and her child. “At the start of 2008, I was just a typical sixteen-year-old. I played softball and volleyball for my high school, went to football games with friends on the weekends, and had a boyfriend, Ryan, whom I had been dating for five months(Davis, 1)”, said Macy Bookout telling about her life just before she got pregnant at the young age of 16. Another teen mom said “I don't have much of a social life. I can't relate to my old friends anymore: the things they talk about, the clothes they wear, the parties. I still have my Eminem posters in my room, but instead of staying up late listening to music or talking on the phone, I go to bed at 8:30 so I can get up at 6 a.m. with Tyler(Immergut,2). Becoming a teen mom is the farthest thing from easy. The process of growing up at such a young age takes a large toll on the mother, the father, the child, and the families on both side, also this situation causes a lot of stress. Once pregnant the amount of changes in a young moms life needed to be made are fairly extensive. Mothers who go out and party on weekends now trade Saturday nights in for reading to the baby and putting them to bed. Girls who go are frequent shoppers at places like Hollister and American Eagle now find themselves with subscriptions to coupons for Baby Gap and Toys-R-Us. Finally, the biggest change of all is the fact that now the mother has a child depending on her, when she herself is still a child too. It is fathomable that with so many things running through the moms mind the situation is nothing but pure stress. The list of stresses, expenses, and options leave mothers feeling stranded and cause them to feel lost and confused. All these stress factors are just pre-pregnancy but during and post-pregnancy the list just keeps getting longer for mom and the baby. The first three months of a mother’s pregnancy are critical development months for the baby and most young mothers put off taking the right precautions or even going to a doctor at all. Pre-natal care is a humongous part of making sure that a mother’s child will grow up healthy and strong. For the babies of mothers who do not take the right measures in the first trimester most times they are low birth weight babies. Low birth weight babies are usually subjected to an immature heart, immune lungs, an immune brain, and even mental retardation in some cases. But not only are the child’s health risks significant so are the mother’s possible illnesses. Teen moms are generally subjected to prolonged pregnancy which is obviously not a fun situation for them. After the birth of her child the mother is now subjected to illnesses such as toxemia, anemia, and preeclampsia, all these illnesses are nothing to play around with and in some situations life threatening. Sometimes it seems as if all the odds are stacked against teen moms, and sometimes they just happen to be. “Teenage mothers are more likely to become pregnant again within two years of their babies birth (Gale, 1)”. Odds like these just go to show how hard mothers lives become. Things that were once taken for granted like spending the night over at a friend’s house or even just sleeping for the whole night without any interruptions are no longer possible. Your list of priorities end up being re-arranged and things such as friends, family, and school all become a blur. “Teenage mothers are less likely than their peers to finish high school or attend college (Gale, 1)”. That also is yet another odd stacked against the teen moms in the world which not only affects them but affects their child too. It has been said that the best relationship between a mother and child is at close age margins. After the teen mom gives birth to her baby believe it or not she herself is still a child and that is what is said to bring mother and child closer together. But with that being said there is still no reason to get pregnant at an early age just to have a good relationship with your baby; which in the end might lead to more of a friendship and that will compromise all your parenting. Needless to say go out and get contraception, and be safe if you are going to have sex. Teen pregnancy causes overwhelming changes and stress, can cause plenty of health issues, and in the end the odds are against mom and baby.