This Sunday, a news of these characteristics was jumping again. And we say it came back because on other occasions we have already talked about pregnancies in girls. This time it was a eleven year old girl giving birth in Murcia.
The 11-year-old girl, of Bolivian origin, gave birth this past Saturday at the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in Murcia and, naturally, this fact that leaves us all stunned made all the alarms go off. The doctors activated the established protocol and communicated the facts to the Superior Police Headquarters and the judge on call to initiate an investigation. This protocol also includes notifying the community social services that they are already working on the case to verify if there could be any crime behind.
Apparently, the parents called the medical services because they thought that the girl was suffering from some type of stomach problem or that she had some disease that caused these strong pains, but when she arrived she was surprised by the family when they discovered what they They thought it was a simple stomach ache. They were labor pains.
Finally the little girl had her son naturally and did not have to go through the operating room.
Pregnancy in childhood and adolescence
While cases like this shake us, teenage pregnancies are a reality that is present in our society. According to WHO, about 16 million girls aged 15-19 and approximately 1 million girls under 15 give birth annually.
In addition to these data it should be added that about 3 million girls between 15 and 19 years undergo abortions in unsafe conditions that endanger their health.
Health risks
Pregnancies at such early ages carry health risks that cannot be overlooked. These pregnancies are risky pregnancies, which have not been controlled and can lead to extreme complications. They constitute the second cause of death among girls aged between 15 and 19 worldwide. In Spain, about 100 children under 15 give birth every year.
This risk is not only for mothers, it is also for babies. If you take into account the statistics recorded in low-income countries, you can see that mothers under 20 face a risk of up to 50% prenatal mortality higher than babies born to mothers between the ages of 20 and 29.
In addition to the risks of prenatal mortality, these children also have a higher probability of registering low birth weight or other complications resulting from a lack of adequate prenatal control.
Psychological risks
One of the main conflicts that girls and adolescents face is, do I continue or not with pregnancy? Thus, a very large anxiety situation that obviously affects the baby is generated around the young woman.
Depressions are quite common: not knowing if they can take care of the baby, the fear of the uncertain future, having to stop studying, the relationship with the baby's father ... there are many factors that can endanger the mother's mood.
Disorientation: they are still girls. They do not know how pregnancy or childbirth will develop. They are not aware of how your body will change, much less your life. All this means that they do not clearly understand their new situation.
Family conflicts: when the family is aware of the news, they will probably be upset by the early age of pregnancy, which will lead to discussions and conflicts, further increasing the child's anxiety.
These types of pregnancies accumulate too many risks and few benefits, both for the mother and the baby, so it is worth analyzing what is happening so that this situation makes more and more headlines.
Updated 06/02/2018: The baby's father is the younger brother, who is currently 14 years old, according to investigations by the National Police. Apparently the relationship was voluntary and when the sexual relations occurred the brother was 13 years old and, therefore, would be imputable and there would be no crime.
