Teenage pregnancy: A social setback and risk to life – babies born to adolescent mothers face higher risk of dying during childbirth

 

THE bringing forth of life is always a joyous occasion; but unplanned pregnancy, especially in cases of teenagers, can be a social setback as well as a risk to life.

In most cases, teenage pregnancy robs mothers of the opportunity to celebrate their youth and live their high-flying dreams of becoming professionals: a doctor, lawyer, accountant or successful entrepreneur.

Eighteen-year-old Tashana Haywood, a resident of East La Penitence, Georgetown, was forced to drop out of school after she became pregnant. Her mother, she said, was shocked on learning of her condition, but later came around to accepting it. Haywood said her unplanned pregnancy means that it would take her some time to realise her dream of becoming a nurse.

“Take your education seriously,” she advised teenagers in an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle. “Missed opportunities are hard to regain.”

Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings
Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings

Pregnancy forces many young girls to drop out of school. It is an obstacle to their early ambitious plans in life, and it compels them, most anyway, to find ways and means to provide for themselves and their newborn children.

This new phase in their lives can be an arduous journey, as friends become fewer due to the ‘bad influence stigma’ attached to teenage motherhood, and, in some cases, there is the lack of parental support. It is a time when strength, endurance and focus are needed, as a lack in any one of these areas can engineer a tragic downward spiral into the complicated web of perpetual poverty. The challenge to teenage mothers navigating this difficult road is that they require much support in terms of building their lives, providing for their children, and remaining in good health.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings, understands the challenges of these young mothers because of her years of experience in the public health system; but Guyana is not the only country affected by this problem.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2014, globally, 16 million girls aged 15-19 and 1 million girls under age 15 gave birth every year; and most came from low income and middle income countries. The WHO also noted that complications during pregnancy and childbirth constitute the second most frequent cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally.

Teenage pregnancy in Guyana is high, compared to other countries in the region. The State of the World Population 2013 Report has said that, with 97 out of every 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 giving birth, Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to the report, Ecuador in South America has the highest rate, with 100 girls out of every 1000 aged between 15 and 19 years old getting pregnant.

CONCERN

Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean
Guyana has the second highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Describing the situation as a matter of concern, the Government of Guyana had, in 2013, told the United Nations Rights of the Child Committee that some 3,000 girls in Guyana get pregnant each year.

“Indeed, many of these girls are forced into early sexual initiation, and some are voluntarily involved in sexual relationships. But, in either case, many young girls become pregnant, and they take those pregnancies full term. Babies born to adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of dying during childbirth than those born to women aged 20 to 24,” Minister Cummings said.

She explained that this is not only due to poor development of the bodies of adolescent girls, but also to the requirements of pregnancy itself.

Eighteen-year-old Malinda Sukdeo of Industry, East Coast Demerara told this publication that, since becoming pregnant, the health centre in her community has been a great source of knowledge in helping her to manage her condition. Sukdeo said she has learned about healthy eating, and how to care for herself and her baby when delivered.

According to Dr Cummings, a micronutrient survey done here in 2012 had found that two in every five antenatal women were suffering with anaemia. Anaemia can lead to a reduction in work capacity, endurance, and impaired brain function. This in adults, coupled with a decreased resistance to infection, affects their ability to earn, care for their families, and carry out daily tasks, the Food Policy Division of the Ministry of Public Health has said.

SIGNIFICANT NUMBER
Dr Cummings noted that the 2012 survey had indicated that half of the women with anaemia were 20 years old or younger.

“Anaemia most frequently would be an indication of iron deficiency, which would be the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in Guyana. Anaemia is therefore a major public health problem for us when relating to pregnant adolescent girls. This public health concern is caused by poor dietary intake and utilisation, which would often be driven by poverty, the inability to purchase nutritious food, and sometimes even a misunderstanding of the importance of nutrition,” she said.

The Ministry of Public Health is placing focus on healthy eating in adolescents, adolescent mothers, and mothers-to-be in particular
The Ministry of Public Health is placing focus on healthy eating in adolescents, adolescent mothers, and mothers-to-be in particular

Among the recommendations, the Micronutrient Survey stressed the need for pregnant women to not only be tested for amaemia, but also counselled on the purpose of having the appropriate level of iron in their bodies during pregnancy. It also emphasised the importance of a nutritious diet to prevent and/or treat the effects of anaemia.

This, Dr Cummings said, is the rationale for the Ministry placing focus on healthy eating in adolescents, adolescent mothers, and mothers-to-be in particular.

“It would be easy to think of supplements as a solution to this problem, but our strategy would rest on food-based, sustainable approaches as well. No pharmaceutical remedy for poor nutrition had been posited. However, the education of the populace, and more importantly our teenage mothers, and making them health-literate to the consequences and effects of anaemia, would be key. It would be important to emphasise that the promotion of good nutrition would rest ultimately upon healthy eating and behavioural changes, which then lead to better dietary outcomes,” the Minister said.

Eighteen-year-old Kassey Crawford, who also did not complete her schooling because of her pregnancy, said she is hoping for a safe delivery, and has been rigorously following the advice of the health officials at the Sophia Health Centre.

Dr Cummings has said that Guyana, as a nation, is on its way to having a reduced rate of maternal mortality and complications with pregnancy.

According to the report ‘Trends in Maternal Mortality Estimates 1990 to 2013’, produced jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Bank, and the United Nations Population Division, Guyana ranks second in maternal deaths in the Caribbean.

The report said that with 380 deaths between 1990 and 2013, Haiti ranks the highest in the region; followed by Guyana with 250, Bolivia with 200, Guatemala with 140, and Suriname with 130.
With a high level of maternal deaths and teenage pregnancies in Guyana, Minister Cummings said the Ministry of Public Health will be placing primary focus on the health and wellbeing of

Symptoms of anaemia during pregnancy (LadyCareHealth.com)
Symptoms of anaemia during pregnancy (LadyCareHealth.com)

pregnant teens. The Government has recently announced that it would be engaging donor agencies for assistance in the establishment of a special fund to help adolescents in need.

By Tajeram Mohabir

 

 

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