Pregnancy and Maternal Health

Key messages from this page:

  • If a person thinks they are pregnant it’s important to find out soon.
  • If they want to continue the pregnancy, early health care makes a difference.
  • Planning for  bub is important. Access support early and often.
3D ultrasound image

Pregnancy can be both an exciting and scary time for both the pregnant person and their partner(s). It can also be a confusing time if the young person is not sure whether they want to keep the baby. If the young person is considering an abortion, please check out the Contraception and Abortion page.

If the young person is planning on giving birth, it is a crucial time to get things started off right for bub, or possibly bubs. This means supporting that young person in accessing appropriate health advice, talking with them about the risks of unhealthy activities such as drinking alcohol and smoking, and helping them understand the importance of looking after their general health. Some personal health examples to talk with young people about may include STIs (these can be passed to bub and can cause some serious complications) or taking supplements recommended by health professionals such as iron, folic acid, and iodine.

It is also a great time to start preparing and planning for what happens when bub is born. These discussions may include things like changes in routine or how a young person will feed the newborn. There are a lot of great supports out there and we have provided links to several below to help you help them navigate this time.

Resources