WHEN a child is about to give birth, there will be risks and problems involved, said a gynaecologist.
Dr Ann Tan, 46, who is also president of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, told The New Paper such teenagers are still physically undeveloped and mentally unprepared to give birth.
Their pelvises are not fully developed for a well-grown baby to be delivered. So they may be forced to have their babies delivered through Caesarean section.
As in adults, there will be a scar on the uterus. In subsequent pregnancies, the scar may tear, the baby might die and the mother may bleed heavily.
Unaware of pregnancy
Some young patients didn’t even know they were pregnant, she said.
Dr Tan recalled a case where a 16-year-old girl and her mother came to see her. The mother said her daughter had abdominal swelling.
Dr Tan scanned the girl’s tummy and showed her the image on her screen. The cause of her “swelling” had head, arms and legs.
Said Dr Tan: “I told her, ‘There’s a baby inside.’ She said, ‘Cannot be.’ ”
Dr Tan had to leave her office as mother and daughter screamed at each other. The girl was more than 24 weeks’ pregnant, which meant an abortion could no longer be carried out as it would be illegal, said Dr Tan.
She added: “Some teens, if they are unaware of their pregnancy, might abuse alcohol or drugs, which might harm the foetus.”
Dr Tan will be on a panel discussing teenage pregnancy to coincide with the MTV programme 16 And Pregnant, which chronicles the lives of six pregnant US teenagers and the problems they face.
The first episode will be aired in Singapore on 22 Nov.
A mother of three girls aged 9 to 16, Dr Tan has helped to deliver babies of underage teens. The youngest was only 14.
She said such kids are still immature to be mothers. “You are still a kid and are forced to think like a mother. You jump from being 13 to 30. You are going to be a mother.
“Yet, you are still saying, ‘I want my mummy to look after me.’ You are not ready for it.”
This article was first published in The New Paper.
