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Each year in England and Wales around 35,000 young women under the age of twenty will give birth, so if you’re pregnant and you decide to continue the pregnancy you’re not alone.
There is loads of information and support on offer to help you have a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth.
Your first step will be to book an appointment to see your GP, or directly with the midwifery service. These healthcare professionals will give you advice and information on how to stay healthy while you are pregnant. If you’re under the age of 25, Brook can also offer you general health advice.
There are many places you can go for more information about being pregnant, but here are a few things that we can tell you about to start you off.
You can get advice about how to have a healthy pregnancy, including how to eat and drink healthily from your midwife, doctor or another healthcare professional.
All healthcare professionals will advise that smoking and drinking alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy. The NHS runs a stop smoking service called Smokefree which offers free help, support and advice, including specialist help with stopping smoking when you’re pregnant.
Healthy foods and vitamins: If you’re under 18 and/or receive certain benefits you can get Healthy Start vouchers, which can be used towards certain healthy foods as well as free vitamins.
Folic acid is a vitamin which is especially important to take in the early weeks of pregnancy. It can help to reduce the risk of some serious birth defects such as spina bifida. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid before pregnancy and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy when the baby’s spine is developing.
Explore the section on having a healthy pregnancy on the Tommys’ website.
You might be tempted to keep the pregnancy secret while you pluck up the courage to talk to your parents or partner, but it is important to get good medical care and advice from early on in pregnancy. As soon as possible, talk to a professional who can help you and will keep your conversation confidential. More about confidentiality
You might want to continue with the pregnancy against the wishes of your family or partner. If you feel that you are at risk of harm within the home because of your decision, you need to contact someone who can help. ChildLine provide help and advice about a wide range of issues, you talk to a counsellor online, send an email, post on the message boards or call 0800 1111 anytime.
A woman’s partner doesn’t have a right to decide if she continues her pregnancy or not. That is her decision.
When a baby is born however, the man that the woman conceived with has rights and responsibilities, even if he is not in a relationship with the mother. He has a duty to provide financially for the child.
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