Who to Talk to

If you had not planned to become pregnant you need to talk to your partner and others who are important to you, like your parents. An unplanned pregnancy affects more than the woman who is pregnant. You can get information and help from a health care provider - a doctor, nurse or midwife. You may also want to talk with others who you go to for advice - an Elder, a relative, a counsellor, a priest or minister.  As you are trying to decide what to do, think about what it means to respect yourself - for example, taking time to figure out what you think about it.

You will soon need to make some important decisions. Do you intend to have the baby and raise it, have the baby and allow the baby to be adopted or do you intend to medically end the pregnancy?

If a girl gets pregnant, there are many ways for her partner, friends and family to support her.  The most important thing to do is show her respect by listening to what she wants - she may want time alone to think about it by herself or she may want to be surrounded by people who are important to her.  

• Listening to her and talking with her about how she feels and how he feels
• Offering to go with her to appointments
• Supporting your partner in what she decides to do
• Getting some help for yourself if you need it
• Getting more information about pregnancy and the choices that your partner will need to make
• Be respectful of her thoughts and feelings

Choices

You will need to make choices about what will be best for you early in the pregnancy. These choices are very personal and it is the woman’s right to make the responsible and legal choice that she believes is best for her.

If you are pregnant you have three legal options to think about – becoming a parent, adoption, or abortion. There are many resources on the Internet to provide you with information. The three links below will take you to information on these topics provided by the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health.

• Parenting
• Adoption
• Abortion

Having a Healthy Pregnancy

Both you and your baby will be healthier if you make some decisions right at the beginning of your pregnancy about what you will do, what you will eat and what you won’t do – like drinking alcohol, smoking or taking recreational drugs.

Having a healthy pregnancy is a big subject and there is lots to learn. You will want to talk with trusted family members and your nurse or doctor. You may also want to read some of the valuable information available on the Internet.