Fear.

It’s what pushes some girls to ignore the signs of pregnancy—until they can’t deny it any more, says Carol Cowley, a nurse practitioner at New Horizons, a teen clinic in Brighton, CO.

“There’s usually some kind of fear or shame about telling the important people in their lives that they’re pregnant,” explains Cowley. “They may have a parent who said, ‘I’ll kill you if you get pregnant.’ For many of these girls, that fear is real.”

Shariem Izquierdo, a teen parent featured in “Surpise Birth Brings Pain and Trouble,” said she got her period every month during her pregnancy and didn’t realize she was carrying a child until she went into labor.

Cowley says it’s abnormal to bleed when you’re pregnant, although some women will have irregular, spot bleeding.

A pregnant girl will say “I bled a little,” Cowley says, and they grasp onto that as proof they aren’t pregnant.

“When there’s something we’re really terrified of, we look for things that can kind of confirm it’s not happening,” she explains.

If you know someone who you suspect is pregnant, or if you think you might be pregnant, ask “What’s the worst that can happen?”

The longer you wait to accept that you’re pregnant, the fewer options you have. Plus, if you’re going to have a baby, you need prenatal care to make sure you and the baby are healthy.

Even though a lot of teens think their parents would kick them out if they came home pregnant, most of the time that doesn’t happen. Take Shariem. She thought her mother would kill her, but now her mother is Shariem’s biggest source of support.

“It’s the rare instance where they’re kicked out,” adds Cowley. “People usually rally around.” Being pregnant is a challenge, especially if you’re a teenager, but you can get support—whatever you choose to do.

Learn more about the signs of pregnancy or about pregnancy options such as abortion, adoption and teen parenting.
 

*Shawna Riddle is a pseudonym.