For a long time, I was under the impression that dealing with unplanned pregnancy was the exclusive preserve of unmarried young couples. I can’t belief I was this stupid as a teenager. Thank heavens I have been set right by the passage of time.
The first time I heard a married woman talking about how she tackled a pregnancy she never wanted, I was in my mid-teens and the account of the events shocked me no end.
The shock was just the result of my naivety as a youth who knew nothing about how life works. You see, at that point in my life, I figured relationships were very straightforward: you meet a girl; you fall in love, get married, have kids, stop having kids, and grow old together.
It was a rude awakening to find out that even married couples have to enter the scenario of dealing with unwanted pregnancy.
For this piece though, we are going to talk about dealing with unwanted pregnancy among young unmarried couples. Somehow I still think the issues confronting unmarried couples when dealing with unwanted pregnancy are far more than what married couples have to face.
For married couples, it is either one of two, to keep it or to get rid. For the unmarried ones, keeping it or getting rid of it is not that straight forward. There are many issues to consider.
Issues in Dealing with Unplanned Pregnancy
When you decide to keep it
When Lynn came back from one of those interminable lecturers strike, her protruding stomach left no one in doubt she was pregnant. Beautiful Lynn was pregnant for our close buddy Tobi.
Seeing her like that left me speechless. I thought things like this only happened in movies or to people not close to me in any way. Why the hell did she decide to keep it? Even Tobi had no idea she’d keep it.
What happened to Lynn is one of the issues facing young people when dealing with unplanned pregnancy. For her getting rid of the baby was not an option to be considered seriously. Her religion leanings won’t allow that.
Other reasons to decide to have the baby could be because of lack of money to afford an abortion, being scared of the whole invasive process of D&C or perhaps the girl wanted to use the baby to force the poor dude into making a decision about marrying her.
For the girl, she should understand that a large chunk of her life would now be suspended. In the case of Lynn, her education suffered for a whole session as she had to be home to give birth and take care of the baby.
Also, unmarried couples should know that being parents is not that easy. Psychologically, are you prepared?
It is best to talk to young parents or better still, young single mothers to get an idea of the mental strain involved in dealing with unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent birth of a baby.
One big thing to consider is the stigma attached to getting pregnant before been married. Many young girls go into hiding for several months, or sometimes a couple of years because they couldn’t deal with the knowing glances from friends and family. Glances that screamed, ‘You messed up big time!’
Another thing to consider for a young girl is the fact that, men been who they are, would consider you tainted ; so getting a sincere, loving partner in the future could be difficult.
In a traditional society like ours, being an unmarried mom can be full of all sorts of stress.
If you decide to get rid of it…..
This is the simplest option. The option that practically ensures you put your life back on track. But it is not so straightforward too especially if the pregnancy is the first.
First off, since abortion is not legal, getting a qualified medical practitioner is very expensive. So the question is, do you have enough money to do it? Or as the boyfriend, are you willing to bear the cost of the procedure?
There is the issue of safety to consider if you guys decide to get rid of the pregnancy. Quacks abound everywhere taking advantage of desperate young people determined to hide their shame.
Desperation can therefore lead you to the table of a quack that would end up doing permanent damage to your womb. The net result is you would never be able to have another baby.
At the extreme end, falling into the hands of a quack can lead to dead from perforation of the womb and the subsequent profuse bleeding.
Taking drugs as a means of dealing with unplanned pregnancy is just as bad as falling into the hands of a quack.
Fact is, there is no exclusive abortion pill. The drugs that claim to work are actually drugs for treatment of other ailments. It is the side effects of taking these drugs that sometimes leads to expulsion of the fetus in pregnant women.
Do I have to spell the dangers of taking prescription drugs without the doctor’s advice? I guess not.
In the final analysis, everything boils down to your situation at that point in time when dealing with unplanned pregnancy. But before you make a decision on the road to travel, weigh your options carefully.
Have you had an experience with dealing with unplanned pregnancy? We would welcome your input on this important subject. Tell us what you think in the comment section below. And do remember to like our Facebook and Twitter pages. Cheers.
