You can find your local pregnancy resource center by searching online or looking in the yellow pages.
Pregnancy resource centers can offer you free pregnancy tests that will confirm your pregnancy.
“Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you about something important. I am pregnant and I need help. " Once you break the news, answer all of the questions they may have for you with honesty.
Remember, they will be hearing this news for the first time, in front of you, and they do not get to prepare for how to handle their initial reactions.
If you decide that you cannot raise your child, then you need to seek out a doctor or a counselor who can help you figure out the next steps are, whether that be looking into adoption or abortion. Abortions need to be performed within a certain time of pregnancy. Your doctor will let you know if abortion is an option for you, if you decide this is what you want. Beware, this can be a traumatic experience. Have someone go with you for emotional support or seek out counseling to help you cope with your decision. If adoption is an option for you, remember that you must receive permission from the child’s father. Ask your doctor for information about adoption agencies who can walk you through the process.
Find a family member or friend who can help you with the initial shock of the news. Ask them to help you talk to your daughter. It can be helpful to first give yourself time and space to be able to privately identify and process your first reactions.
“I need you to tell me when you found out, and who the father is, so we can figure out what to do next. " “I need some time to think about what the next step is going to be. " “We are going to figure this out together. Everything is going to be okay. "
Ask your daughter, “What does your heart tell you to do?” or “Which option do you feel most comfortable with?” Find a counselor to help you and your daughter make a decision together. Having a counselor present can help keep the conversation constructive with unbiased perspectives.
Go through all of the options and possible scenarios, pointing out the pros and cons for your daughter. This will allow your opinion to be heard, but will also give your daughter the chance to have all of the information to make her own decision.
Teenagers make mistakes, and they need to learn how to grow from those mistakes. This is a crucial point where your teen needs your support and guidance more than ever.
Allow your daughter to make future doctor’s appointments, and have her read baby books to help prepare her for motherhood.
Go with your daughter to her appointments, and support her during this journey. Be sure to start your daughter on a daily prenatal vitamin as soon as you learn about her pregnancy.
Choosing adoption can be a great option for teenage girls who are not ready to raise a child. Find support for you daughter to help her through the grieving process that comes along with adoption.
Be sure to talk with your daughter after the procedure, to check on her well-being.
You can talk to a friend, family member, or maybe a therapist. Just find someone you can trust and open up with.
Oftentimes, there is additional support for teens through planned parenthood centers that help them find jobs, finish high school, and go to a vocational school or college.
Being raised in an unloving or resentful marriage, can be harmful to your child’s emotional development. You and the father may decide to raise the child together, without getting married. This is called joint parenting, and it allows you to come up with a system that meets both of your needs, as well as the baby’s needs.
Graduate from high school. Having an education will help you become independent and allow you to support your child.
These centers will talk to you about how much time you will need to dedicate towards your baby, and how much money your baby will cost you every week. The more you plan for your baby, the better off you both will be.
