Teenage mothers are more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications that lead to maternal death. Health risks for young mothers and babiesĮarly childbearing is associated with health risks for both mother and child. There was a problem processing your submission. Others end up with miscarriages mainly due to excessive stress, often caused by embarrassment and fear,” Ms. “Most of them have pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), which is rife among the teenagers. Some adolescent girls hide their pregnancies because they do not want to miss any classes at school. Sometimes they do not have transport to the facility, or they are afraid of their peers knowing that they are pregnant,” she says.
“Most of them come late for ANC because they are afraid of coming without informing parents. Unfortunately, pregnant teenagers do not always seek adequate antenatal care services due to the challenges and stigma that they face, says Ms. When stigma impacts access to critical services For example, a young mother may start pushing the baby out before their cervix is sufficiently dilated, causing a cervical tear. Often, pregnant teenagers are not able to follow birthing instructions due to lowered understanding, she says. This usually means a Caesarean section is necessary, explains Ms. Six out of 10 girls (60 per cent) aged 15 to 19 are mothers or pregnant with their first child, which places Lesotho second to Namibia (seven out of 10 girls) for high rates of unintended pregnancies among the East and Southern African countries, the report stated.īecause their bodies are not yet fully developed, pregnant adolescent girls are at greater risk of complications such as cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD), which leads to difficulties in the unborn baby descending. The adolescent birth rate is high, at 94 per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 (2003-2018).Ī 2017 report by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Lesotho among the leading countries on early and unintended pregnancies.
Teenage pregnancy remains a challenge in Lesotho. Lineo Mabusa, a nurse midwife in the hospital’s antenatal clinic, confirms that 87 per cent of those who seek antenatal care services at the clinic are teenagers aged between 13 and 19. “Since they are prone to risk, they have to deliver at hospital, not any other health facility.” “We see them mostly because we admit them at the waiting mothers’ shelters,” says Ntebaleng Stoffel, a nurse midwife on the ward. QUTHING, Lesotho–More teenage girls are admitted to the maternity ward of Quthing government hospital than women of childbearing age.
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