Stress
Stephen Horvath, Jazsmin Halliburton & Amanda Coppola
Teen Vogue Article: "My Life as a Teen Mom" Summation
- Kirsten Fitzgerald
- Got pregnant at 17
- Lost all of her friends, except for a couple close ones
- The father of the child left her after 4 months into the pregnancy
- Pressured by her own father to get an abortion
- Gave birth shortly after her 18th birthday
- Proceeded to go to nursing school while her mother quit her own job to take care of the child
“It was just so hard... He kept telling me that I was giving up my college experience… that I would never finish.."
Candies Foundation
Solutions
Talk out Problems
Finding someone, preferably who has had experience, like a midwife, can help rack up emotional support. Talking with them about concerns can help alleviate stress and boost ones mood
Exercise
"Mind and body techniques are beneficial for both mother and child." -Anne Cotter (Medical director of the Atlantic Mind Body Center in Morristown NJ)
Do Things that Relax You
Get plenty of rest, and find things to calm your nerves, like reading a book or taking a bath
Pregnancy Depression
- 1 in 10 women report being depressed while pregnant
- Unmarried teenage mothers display higher levels of depressive symptoms in young adulthood- Dr. Ariel Kalil
- Also, 10% of women experience postpartum depression after childbirth. Postpartum depression affects teen mother more due to their premature body reactions to the physical changes.
- The highest incident of mothers with postpartum depression, in 2012, were in teen 15-19 years of age. Thats 2x the amount of mothers 25 years and older
https://www.seleni.org/advice-support/article/the-mental-health-of-teen-moms-matters
http://www.livestrong.com/article/136548-about-teenage-mothers-depression/
Solutions for PPD and Pregnancy Depression
- Seek a therapist and support from friends and family
- Take antidepressants- not while pregnant
- Hormone rherapy
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/postpartum-depression-and-the-baby-blues.htm
Generation Her
http://www.generationher.org
- An organization that help pregnant teens/teen mothers by connecting them to communities of other teen and adult mothers.
- Gives teen mothers a positive place where they can feel loved instead of judged