If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, the first thing you want to do is take a deep breath and try to calm your feelings. We are here to help you.
The next thing to consider is that the life growing within you is a child — your child — and even if the father is not taking any responsibility, your child is counting on you for life.
What are your choices?
You can choose to give birth and raise the child as your own.
You can choose adoption.Why isn’t abortion a choice?
In Uganda, abortion is against the law. The 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the Penal Code Act (Cap 120) specifies that no person has a right to terminate the life of an unborn child (with very limited exceptions). Unfortunately, this does not stop some people from performing abortions illegally. Often, these people are not trained medical professionals which means during an abortion things can go wrong (and often do) frequently causing both the mother and the baby die.
We want you to know the facts: The leading cause of death for Ugandan girls ages 15-18 is pregnancy, and 20% of maternal deaths are caused by abortion-related complications.
What to do next.
Take care of yourself and your baby (See below)
Read about ways to give life to your child life (See below)
Still have questions? Let's CHAT. (See chat button below)The World Health Organization writes, “Maintaining good nutrition and a healthy diet during pregnancy is critical for the health of the mother and unborn child.”* Problems with your pregnancy can happen because of untreated illnesses and poor eating (diet). This is why is is so important to take care of yourself and your baby. As soon as you find out your are pregnant you should see a health care provider. During your clinic visit(s) you will learn which vitamins you should be taking to help your baby grow properly and be healthy. You will also learn the warning signs of problems with your pregnancy.
Kate Mitchell of World Health Organization recommends [to have, if possible, at least] four prenatal visits. For example, in Uganda, health care providers try to cram a lot of information into what might be, if they’re lucky, one of four visits a woman has during her pregnancy.
“During those visits, providers focus on tetanus vaccination and screening, treatment of infections and screening for high blood pressure,” says Mitchell. “High blood pressure is really important because it’s an indicator of eclampsia and preeclampsia, which is a major maternal issue. There’s also talk about malaria prevention, as well as screening and treatment for HIV, because if you can intervene during the prenatal period, then you can prevent mother-to-child transmission.”**
Ways to give life to your child
Ugandan women who do not have much money find pregnancy to be especially challenging. Our founder at New Beginnings International Ministries, Isoba Henry, suggests these ways to successfully give life to your child
– – – – > Quotation from Henry Appears Here < – – – – –
Still have questions? There is a CHAT button in the lower right corner of your screen. Click it to begin a chat session to ask your questions. If we are unavailable, you can leave us a message and we will reply as soon as we are able.
* WHO quotations about nutrition from online source:
https://www.who.int/elena/titles/nutrition_counselling_pregnancy/en/
** Kate Mitchell quotation from the online resource, “The Bump,” https://www.thebump.com/a/prenatal-care-facts-around-world