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Planned verses unplanned pregnancy.
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According to a study done by the Guttmacher Institute, half of all pregnancies in America today are "unplanned." And if you think that's just counting teenagers, think again. Many women across the economical and educational spectrum find themselves with a surprise pregnancy at some point in their lives. Being unplanned, however, does not always have to end negatively. Here are some pros and cons of a planned vs. unplanned pregnancy.
Planned pregnancy
“Let’s have a baby,” say the planners. You’re ready. You have the finances lined up, a toy filled nursery and a savings account with the baby's name on it. You decide to start trying to conceive.
The pros to planning your pregnancy are great. You are prepared financially, can start taking your prenatal vitamins early, ditch any bad habits that may harm the baby and generally be excited about the adventure ahead. But the down side is, things do not always go as planned.
If you have spent most of your life trying to prevent getting pregnant you may automatically assume that it's a fairly easy task. You expect to ditch the birth control, do what you have already been doing and, voila, you have a baby in your arms in nine months. But it doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes it takes months to get pregnant, which is perfectly normal; but sometimes it ends up taking years. So the downside is, even if you plan your pregnancy- it may not turn out exactly like you planned. Statistically, about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age will struggle with infertility or take longer than one year to conceive.
Unplanned (surprise) pregnancy.
Unplanned pregnancy can often be defined by one word, “oops.” Perhaps you’re not married. Perhaps you are in college or in the middle of a career change. Maybe your husband just lost his job. An unplanned pregnancy can be one the scariest feelings in the world. The good news is, there is help. Counselors, pregnancy centers and governmental agencies are all there to help if you are in a family or financial crisis. The good news is that nine months from now you’ll be a holding a "bundle of joy." And at that point, you may not even remember the stress you felt when you first saw that positive pregnancy test.
Unfortunately, having an unplanned pregnancy doesn’t always give new mothers time to quit unhealthy habits and take prenatal vitamins. The first few weeks are a very critical time in the baby’s development. Smoking, drinking and not getting enough folic acid during this time can cause birth defects. And sometimes it takes weeks for women to realize their pregnant, especially those who have irregular periods. This is why is important for women of childbearing age to take vitamins and live a healthy lifestyle.
As you see, there are pros and cons to both planned and unplanned pregnancy. If you are planning to get pregnant, make sure your plans are flexible and if you’re not planning to get pregnant make sure you still take care of yourself. And if you do find yourself pregnant and questioning what to do next, remember there are resources and people who want to help you.
Pregnancy resources in the New Orleans area:
Access Pregnancy & Resource Centers (Metarie, Kenner & West Bank), Community Center for Life (Gretna), Crisis Pregnancy Help Center (Slidell), Northlake Crisis Pregnancy Center (Covington)
Louisiana's WIC program (Women, Infant's and Children) provides food items and formula for women and families in need.
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