Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Real Story: Hannah

ABC Primetime ran a series of articles about teen moms. This article is the story of Hannah. Hannah was the homecoming queen, a cheerleader, played volleyball and was involved in lots of school activities. In the fall of her senior year of high school, she discovered she was pregnant after she and a friend went to buy a pregnancy test one night at a school basketball game. Hannah's first reaction was to cry and ask "What do I do?" When she told her boyfriend about the positive test, "he was surprised and he didn't take it well at all."

Hannah had a sonogram at about 7.5 weeks of pregnancy and discovered that she was carrying triplets. "As a church-going Christian whose faith is vitally important to her, she thought it was God's plan and never considered abortion. But at her next appointment, Hannah learned that one of the babies had stopped growing, and there would be just two babies, both girls."

The gossip at Hannah's school spread quickly. What gossip has your pregnant daughter faced as her pregnancy became known? Get her counseling help to deal with all the emotions she is facing.

Hannah's high school has about 20 pregnant students each year and has a support program to help the teen parents graduate. Does your pregnant daughter's school have a program to help her finish her education?

Hannah gave birth to her twin daughters two months early, but one of them died 12 days later. Help your daughter learn about premature birth and talk to her doctor to see if there are things your daughter should be doing to help minimize the risk of her child being born early.

Hannah is not in a relationship with her child's father currently, but he says he wants to be involved with his daughter as she grows up. Is your pregnant daughter still in a relationship with her child's father? How does he want to be involved in the life of his child? You may find it helpful to read the chapters "Where does the baby's father belong in all this?", "Forgiving the baby's father", and "The importance of a father" in our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy."

No comments: