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Eating for a Better StartMore teenage girls are giving birth in the United States than ever before, and many of them are suffering from poor nutrition. A series of workshops called "Eating for a Better Start" is helping pregnant teens make nutritious food choices and have healthier babies. "Eating for a Better Start" was developed by Penn State's Nutritional Sciences Department and EFNEP with support from the March of Dimes. The workshops cover the kinds of foods pregnant women should eat, the amount of weight they need to gain and eating habits that ease pregnancy's discomforts. "Some problems with adolescent pregnancies are due to the girls' biological immaturity," says Judith Heald, former program manager for EFNEP in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "But pregnant teens also are prone to fad dieting, skipping meals, and making nutritionally poor food choices." Over 15 percent of infants born to teenage girls who gain only 16 to 20 pounds during pregnancy have low birth weights, and as a result, may have mental or physical disabilities. Some of these infants are stillborn. "Many teenage mothers try not to gain any weight at all, as a way to save their figures or conceal their pregnancies," says Heald. "Even gaining one extra pound can be troubling to a teenage girl. When she finds she's expected to gain 35 pounds to have a healthy baby, she's devastated." The workshops also teach the stages of fetal development. "If the girls see that their babies actually have eyelashes and fingernails at a certain stage, or can get the hiccups, they begin to take more responsibility," says Heald. "We try hard to get the father of the baby involved, to give him the message that this is his baby, too. At least in the beginning, when the girls still are worrying about their weight, the fathers often take more responsibility." Through lessons and role playing, teens learn about the dangers of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs during pregnancy. "We have a very effective prop for this lesson," says Heald. "We show them a beer can with a nipple attached. Then we tell them if they drink while they're pregnant, it's a lot like letting their babies suck on this can of beer." Teenagers also find out about breast- and formula-feeding and learn when and how to introduce solid food. "They're taught things that may seem obvious but are extremely important," says Heald. "For example, they learn how to read the signals their babies give when they're full and want to stop eating." EFNEP advisers teach "Eating for a Better Start" in facilities for pregnant teens, high school classes, special programs sponsored by civic groups or health organizations, and sometimes in individual homes. Institutions where the workshops are taught often will include guidance on how the teenagers can finish high school, further their education and get jobs. "By helping teenage parents and their children get off to a good start nutritionally, we're helping them make a future for themselves," says Heald. For more information about "Eating for a Better Start" and other EFNEP programs, contact your local cooperative extension office. Penn State cooperative extension programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability.
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture's policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, political beliefs or disability.To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider.This publication is available in alternative media on request
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