Teen Pregnancy
Being pregnant as a teenager is filled with many emotions. Excitement, fear, embarrassment, anger, or joy - there really is no one right way to feel. No matter how you felt when you found out, you knew your whole life was changing.
And then nothing went the way it was supposed to. You were told your baby died.
But, you are a parent.
It doesn’t matter if you were pregnant for weeks or months, you will grieve and feel sad. You may also feel relieved, numb, or angry. You may cry a lot or not at all. You may feel the need to stay busy, or you may not feel like doing anything at all. Just like when you found out you were pregnant, there is no right or wrong way to feel when your baby has died.
WHAT WILL HELP YOU HEAL
Talk to a professional counselor
Surround yourself with family and friends who love and support you
Find an online pregnancy loss support group for teen parents
Be outdoors in nature
Eat nourishing food
Get enough sleep
Drink water
Move your body
WHAT WON’T HELP YOU HEAL
Alcohol
Drugs
Caffeine
Isolating yourself
Engaging in risky behaviors
Rushing into another pregnancy
Staying in an unhealthy relationship
Making drastic decisions about your life
It is normal to want to be pregnant again.
Before moving forward, allow yourself time to process what has happened. Ask yourself these questions:
Do I want a baby so that I have someone to love or someone who loves me?
Do I want a baby to fill the emptiness inside me?
Do I live in an abusive home or am I in an abusive relationship?
Am I living under a lot of stress?
Do I have enough money to raise a baby?
Do I want to finish school first?
Be kind to yourself.
It can be helpful to allow close relatives or friends to take care of your basic needs, such as meals, laundry, or cleaning. This gives you permission to focus on caring for yourself and grieving.