Celebrities Who Were Teen Parents; The Problems That Come With Teenage Pregnancies

The Centre for Disease Control stated that in 2012, a total of 305,388 babies were born in the United States to women aged 15 to 19 years. There has been a huge decline in teenage pregnancies compared to the past, but the number is still worrisome as it is nine times higher than other developed countries.

The CDC stated that teen pregnancies lead to an increase of high school dropout rates as girls often quit school to take care of their child. More than 50 per cent of teen mothers never graduate from high school. They also face unemployment and health problems as they grow. It is not just the mother but also the child who undergoes the ill effects of teenage pregnancy, the CDC states.

The child often grows up in impoverished conditions and is not tended in the right manner. Most teenage mothers are not well equipped to handle the child, and this affects the child as well. Most often, the child grows up with a single parent who is not well educated, and this in turn leads to the child growing up in circumstances that do not allow him to grow academically.

There are several medical risks that come with such pregnancies. According to WebMD, pregnant teens are at a higher risk of suffering from pregnancy-induced hypertension, which is high blood pressure. It is a dangerous condition that could lead to organ damage. Though medication can help, it leads to growth defects in the child.

The site also revealed that teens are more likely to give birth to low-weight babies. The baby may weigh between 3.3 and 5.5 pounds (1,500 and 2,500 grams), and this requires the child to be put on a ventilator for help with breathing.

Apart from that, the CDC also revealed that teens, after giving birth, go through postpartum depression and this can have its effects on the child as well. The mother would need treatment and would not be in a state of mind to take care of the baby. Most teens would require emotional support as they tend to feel isolated, lonely and scared.

There are several celebrities who have been teenage parents. Rapper, Lil Wayne; Beyonce's sister Solange Knowels, Oscar nominee Keisha Castle Hughes, Fantasia and LeBron James' long time girl friend Savannah Brinson are a few to mention.

They have had their shares of ups and downs. Solange Knowels said that she regrets having a son at such a young age, but she considers him her biggest unplanned blessing. Singer, Fantasia Barrino said that she could have avoided having a child that young and she even admitted that her mother and grandmother had tried to talk to her about it but she refused to listen. Though she is grateful to god for her daughter, she wishes that she had waited a little longer as she dropped out from school due to it.

Teenage pregnancies can be hard to handle and it is even more hard to for a parent who is still in her teens to handle the responsibilities that come with a child; while some are successfully in being good parents, others hold regrets and leave the children hurt emotionally.