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Parents who have daughters who become pregnant during their teenage years often initially go through a difficult time accepting what happened. It's indeed a shock to learn that your daughter is expecting, but it's also something that happens to nearly a million teenage girls every year in the United States. It can be an overwhelming news, but once the shock wears off, the questions will begin to pour in.

Tips on dealing with teenage pregnancies
The important thing to realize is that regardless of what you may feel about the pregnancy, the fact is that your teen needs you now more than ever. Learning how to keep the communication going, even though emotions may be running a little high, is essential in helping your teen cope with her new situation. Teens who go through pregnancies at such an early age are both emotionally and physically vulnerable. It would help immensely if they knew that they don't have to go through these things alone. While it's equally unhealthy to deny the sudden surge of emotions that you may feel (guilt, anger, disappointment, etc), it's important that you work through them for the sake of your daughter and the coming baby.

Most teen pregnancies are not planned, and teens often feel terrified that it happened. Even teenage boys who find themselves about to become fathers need the encouragement and involvement of parents. While some boys welcome the thought of being involved in the life of their future child, others may need more encouragement and guidance in order to be able to step up and face their responsibility, especially since fathers are legally responsible to support their children whether they want to or not.

Teenage pregnancy is no reason to encourage your children to get married, though. Forcing them to get married before they're old enough to really make a sound decision can be a move that can further aggravate the situation. Offer your advice to your teen but don't force them to accept your opinion. Especially not at this point in their life.

Consider providing for the prenatal care of your teen as soon as you find out that she is having a baby. Without prenatal care, teenage girls are more likely to give birth to stillborn babies, suffer from labor complications, anemia, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, and more. Seeking medical help early increases the chances that your teen will have a healthy pregnancy. It will also help your teen understand what she should and shouldn't do while pregnant. This is the time when your teen should learn what lifestyle changes she should make in order to assure the safety of her baby and herself.

You can also take your child to counseling in order to help her understand what her options are. Through counseling, your child can explore the option of whether she wants to keep the baby or not, or whether she wants to give the baby up for adoption. What's more important is understanding what each option entails. Each one will definitely change your daughter's life one way or another. It's important to make an informed choice.