New Trend: Pregnancy

So it’s not hard to notice that Hollywood is taking a new step in creating a new trend, that is, getting pregnant. Of course, it’s not hard to say that pregnancy is beautiful thing, and often regarded as sexy, and more women are deciding to get the bumps this year. I am not just talking about the married or mature and ready couples here, but younger girls too. Girls who are not ready… but then again, who cares whether you’re ready or not, right? (No!!)

People like Jamie Lynn Spears who was 16 when she discovered that she’s pregnant. The media’s turn on this? That it is a great thing, Jamie will get all the support she needs, the baby will be okay, it’s not her fault, and so on. Well, the truth is, viewing teenage pregnancy like this will not help other teenage girls to look up to Jamie (who, by the way is Britney Spears’ younger sister), and actually believe that teenage pregnancy is okay.

Then we have the movies and TV shows. For example, Juno. If you have seen this movie, then you would understand. This movie is not for young girls who does not understand the complication and risks of getting pregnant. Why? Because this movie is about embracing and coping with teenage pregnancy. One scene from the movie goes like this:

Juno: “I’m pregnant.”

Stepmom: “Oh God.”

Juno: “But I’m going to give it up for adoption! I’d already found the perfect couple, they’re going to pay for the medical expenses and everything, and, and, 30 odd weeks so we can just pretend that this never happened! “

Dad: “You’re pregnant?”

Juno: “I’m sorry… and if it is any consolation I have heartburn…”

… And then they started talking about who the father was, and started making fun of the boy who had gotten Juno pregnant in the first place, and the focus of the later conversation was straight onto dealing with the pregnancy. You could almost feel that when you’re there with the scene, there is no stress level, no worries and it’s like telling your parents that you stole gum from the hardware store. Big deal.

Well the truth is, pregnancy is a big deal and is not an easy thing. A normal parent would not deal with their children’s pregnancy as easy and relaxed as the parents in this movie. Sadly, young oblivious teenage girls would not understand this, and would actually believe that if they are pregnant, it would just be as easy as telling your parents your stole gum from the hardware store.

Adding to all this, is the so-called “pregnancy pact” that happened in a high school at Gloucester, MA. Apparently, about 17 girls decided to get pregnant and raise the children together, and these girls go as far as getting random homeless man to get themselves pregnant. What is this, a pregnancy sorority? So many girls are trying to join the pact and so many girls are willing to do whatever it takes.

The blame to all this? The media, the lack of sex education (which apparently only reached up to Freshmen), and most importantly, the parents.

Perhaps it is about time that every young girl around the nation know and understand fully the risks, the process and everything in between of getting pregnant. It’s not as easy as how they showed in the Hollywood. If you really would like to see real pregnancy and real parenthood, go to Discovery Health channel and watch is once in a while. And, to know what it’s like to take care of a baby, take care of one for a night.

Plus, it’s expensive! If you think that your current household could definitely afford a baby, think again. A baby’s first year could cost $9,000-$11,000 (www.surebaby.com), and that’s only the first 12 months. And the cost only go higher as your baby grows older. And this is only the money figures, babies not only cost dollars, but they can cost you time as well. The time you will have to spend taking care of the baby considering a newborn is in need of constant care and attention. Lacking any of this will cause the baby a failure to thrive (both organically and emotionally).

Also, another important fact is that teenage girls are not physically nor mentally ready to have a child. This is probably a known fact that many teenage girls miss. A teenage girls’ body (say, around 13-16) are still in the stage of developing. Adding a baby to the mass of that developing body could cause complications to not only the growing baby, but to the carrying girl as well.

Then the most important of it all: the beginning. Having unprotected sex is really a dumb choice. Pregnancy is not the only risk (especially when these girls really want it), but there are other risks like STD’s. And, really, how much do you know about STD’s? How much do you actually remember about the different kinds of the most common STD’s out there? Or the fact that many STD’s does not show any symptoms in the first few months and some could even be deadly? And STD does not only proof a threat to the girls themselves, but to others that they may have sex with again in the future as well as the baby (if they are pregnant).

So, pregnancy isn’t so pretty after all ain’t it? Isn’t it about time… NOW, that we need to inform our young generations of healthy and full-of-potential girls about sex, pregnancy and everything in between?