Resources for pregnant teen

[menudo]

Longitme MDC-er and mom a 5yo and 9yo here. My 16yo, entering 10th grade cousin is pregnant. Her parents do not yet know and it will NOT be pretty ( I will not even offer to be present when she tells them.) But I am gonna help. She is very naive and my extended family is mainstream plus just well-a mess. So my way of life and parenting will already be extreme. I plan to talk to her abotu what she should do. I plan to stress the importance of breastfeeding, not circumcising, and even tho I did not-possibly cloth diapering. All money saving options, etc.

What are good books for a girl who probably only reads Seventeen? I know books I love but I know too non mainstream will be a turn off. (Saving vax talk for down the line but pre baby). Books geared for teens but NOT mainstream? Websites? She is watching my kids this week and I want to take her out to talk about it all too. What also sucks is my big mouth Mom works in my library so taking books out on my card will get things talkin. Ugh.

Advice/resources needed, please share...

[Amylcd]

www.girl-mom.com is a good site for teen mothers.

[brownearth]

I was a teen mom. It is a very controversial thing, and all in all it is a wonderful experience!

I would suggest that you take her on some "mom's day out" type outings, and maybe let her choose what she likes, and dislikes. Every mother has their own preferences.

Teen moms can be especially "nervous" and might tend to want to be very independent in their decision making. Encourage her not to give in to pressures from family, friends, etc. And if possible, to include the dad in the process as well, if he is a good guy!

You can introduce ideas to her based on your experiences and suggestions, but in reality, it will be her decision on how she chooses to be a mother.

Book stores, cafes, malls, baby stores, pregnancy and mothering related places are places she might enjoy visiting.

It can also be good for her to be around other teen moms as well.

[LionTigerBear]

"Hey! Who's Having This Baby Anyway!" Is an awesome book geared towards expectant moms who are coming from a more mainstream place, and it is written in a jokey, casual, fairly easy-to-read format complete with worksheets to fill in etc. It tells you what to look for in an OB, family practice MD or nurse-midwife (based on what your desires are) with things to ask/think about in each case, and explains the differences of the above. It explains all of the pros and cons of drugs used during labor (mostly cons, but without being too polarizing for moms coming from a mainstream place.) It also aims to inspire moms to take their power back, and make their own informed decisions. It walks you through making a birth plan and getting a doula etc, that sort of thing, also goes over what your many RIGHTS are. It covers the option of homebirth, but is obviously written more for moms who are more likely to birth at a hospital or birth center. It is written by a midwife/medwife who wants to inform uninformed moms of their options. So that's the book I would HIGHLY recommend. I recommend that book to all mainstream mamas who aren't particularly bookish to begin with.