Teen mothers at high risk to give birth prematurely

One in seven babies born to a teen mother is premature, a medical report revealed yesterday. Some of those born premature may suffer brain damage. Others will not walk without a leg brace. And some might never lift a spoon to their mouths. For mothers under the age of 19, doctors and social workers said, giving birth too early is often a given.

"No teenage mother expects to give birth prematurely. Yet according to our statistics, a teenager's chances of giving birth to a premature baby are twice that of an adult woman," said Chen Cheng-yu (陳震宇), an obstetrician at Mackay Memorial Hospital who conducted the study on premature babies.

Lack of Knowledge

According to Chen, teenage girls are often unaware of their pregnancy in the early stages or lack knowledge of prenatal care, which increases the likelihood they will give birth prematurely. Negligence aside, young pregnant girls are also more vulnerable to pregnancy toxemia which jeopardizes the health of both the fetus and mother.

In the past three years, 18 of 76 teenage mothers at Mackay Memorial Hospital gave birth to premature babies.

Every year in Taiwan, over 10,000 teens give birth; 15 percent of these are premature, according to the latest statistics from the Bureau of National Health.

The figure, Chen cautioned, was just the tip of the iceberg. Because hospitals require a minor to have the signature of a statutory agent, usually her parents, for medical treatment, many pregnant teenagers choose to go to smaller clinics than hospitals.

Driven Underground

"Many do not want their parents to know. The signature requirement is driving these mothers and babies underground," said Hsu Chyong-hsin (許瓊心), the director of the neonatology department at the Mackay Memorial Hospital.

"Sometimes, through regular check-ups, we can detect whether a premature baby will develop a disability at a later stage in life. We can give timely rectification. But if the mother does not come to us in the first place, we would not be able to help," Hsu said.

Unlike larger hospitals, local clinics often lack the intensive care units needed to nurture infants born before the 37th week of pregnancy.

For premature babies born at a hospital, staff will call the parents of a premature baby and continue to monitor the child for two years. Children born in local clinics, however, do not enjoy the same service coverage by national health insurance.

Social Stigma

"We need to encourage pregnant girls to drop their fear of social stigma. Society should also grant them their right to medical care and stop labeling them as black sheep in our society," said Lee Te-feng (李德芬), a lecturer on nursery health who organizes a counseling plan for teenage mothers in conjunction with the Ministry of Education.

In Lee's experience, many teen mothers drop out of school and never resume their education and most come from low-income families.

"With a premature baby, it becomes increasingly difficult to climb out of the lower social class. They can hardly support themselves, let alone raise their babies and pay for extra medical expenses. If the government does not intervene, it will be an unending vicious circle," said Lee.