SIXTEEN AND PREGNANT

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adolescence is the period in the life of a person comprising between 10 and 19 years old. In some cases, adolescence is interrupted when the girl gets pregnant: one in five women in the world has a child before turning 18 and each year 16 million births to teenage mothers are produced. In the poorest regions of the world, one in three women is a teenage mother.

According to experts, the most appropriate age for motherhood is between 20 and 35 years old since is less risky for both the mother and the baby’s health. Teenage pregnancy is considered high risk and carries more complications. The adolescent is not ready physically or mentally to have a baby and to take the huge responsibility that motherhood brings.

Most of teenage mothers present:

- Poor nutrition and deficiency of essential nutrients for the proper development of the baby

- An increased number of spontaneous abortions

- Premature births, a large number of babies of teenagers are born before 37 weeks of gestation

- Babies are underweight because the immaturity of their body makes their uterus not fully developed

- Teen moms have more children with health problems and developmental disorders

- In cases of pregnancies among girls under 15, the baby is more likely to be born with malformations.

Psychological complications for pregnant adolescents:

- Fear to be rejected socially: one of the consequences of adolescence and pregnancy is that the girl feels criticized by her surroundings and tends to isolate from the group.

- Rejecting the baby: girls are not willing to take time and responsibilities involved in being a mother. However, this also makes them feel guilty, sad and their self-esteem is reduced.

- Telling their families about their pregnancy is often a source of conflict and even rejection by their own environment.

- The children of teenage parents often suffer higher rates of school failure, problems of social integration or learning.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended preventing teen pregnancy by:

• Stopping marriage before age 18, 
• Increasing the use of contraceptives during adolescence, 

In any case, the best prevention is to give young people a good sex education from the bosom of the family. It is important to report the risks and complications of pregnancy in adolescence and all the changes that will occur from the time when the teenager becomes pregnant.

Communication in the family is essential; therefore, it must be open and transparent so that young people have all the information they need.

We talked to Carolina and Sabrina, two girls that now are happy mothers, about their experience with pregnancy.

BT: What is your name?
C: Carolina.
BT: How old were you when you got pregnant?
C: 16 years old.
BT: What is your child's name? 
C: Benjamin.
BT: How are you now?
C: I'm fine with my husband and my beautiful son.
BT: How old is your son?
C: 5 years old.
BT: How did your parents react to the news?
C: Badly at first, because I was a teenager and their only daughter; but then they calmed down because they knew Gabriel -my husband- was going to take care of me.
BT: What was the first solution you found to your problem?
C: I wanted to keep my baby. And, after telling my husband, he agreed, so everything was easier. I was not alone.
BT: What bad consequences did the pregnancy bring?
C: The first thing I did was leaving school. Then my friends left me because they thought I was a bad influence.
BT: And now? 
C: I take care of my son and went back to school and now I'm in college studying medicine. Gabriel is a good father and since he learned that he would be father he worked hard. Then I started working to take better care of Benjamin.

BT: What is your name?
S: Sabrina
BT: How old were you when you got pregnant?
S: 15 years old.
BT: How did your parents react?
S: They were angry, but they didn’t want me to get an abortion.
BT: And your partner?
S: He said he wasn’t ready to be a father, so he left and decided he didn’t want anything to do with my child.
BT: What was the first solution you found for that problem?
S: I decided to have my baby.
BT: What consequences did it bring you?
S: I had to leave school. I could not see my friends. In my school, when they found out I was pregnant, I was criticized.
BT: And how did you feel?
S: Depressed and lonely.
BT: Did you regret the decision you made?
S: No, because I love my daughter Lorena. Since I found out I was expecting a child, I had a unique and special feeling.
BT: Why did you get pregnant? Did you use protection? 
S: We did but the condom was pricked.
BT: What would you say to other girls that are teenagers and pregnant? 
S: It is not easy to raise a child alone. Before having sex, think about the consequences that it can bring to you and your families.

After reading about this issue and listening to those girls talk about their children, we came to the conclusion that when someone is mature enough to have sex (without using protection –sometimes-) then that person should be prepared to face the consequences and responsibilities of it.

If you still want to have sex, GET INFORMED FIRST, read, ask your parents or teachers. Using a condom or taking pills can be a safe way of avoiding not only pregnancy, but also lots of sexually transmitted diseases.

INFORM YOURSELF. BE SAFE. STAY SAFE.  

Jesica Tola and Brenda Callisaya - 5ht Year

STOP NAIL-BITING!!

We should clarify that each one of us knows that this is a bad habit. When we meet someone, go to a business meeting or a job interview, our hands say more than we could imagine. They expose our hygiene and health habits.

However, we all know someone that is always biting their nails. Why is this so common?

The bad habit of nail-biting is defined as onychophagy, and it is a disorder produced by anxiety, obsession, nerves and stress. We bite our nails when we are nervous or anxious about something, or even out of boredom or inactivity. 

Although many people of different ages have this habit, it usually occurs in puberty: teenagers are always nervous, stressed and very anxious about everything.

There are several ways to stop nail biting. Since it’s a response to stressful situations, we should try to identify what is making us nervous and deal with it emotionally and mentally.

Once this is done, we can focus on quitting the habit.

If you are a woman, a good way to end with this habit is by polishing your nails with a bright colour. If you like the way your hands look when they are clean and polished, you will try to avoid biting your nails, just because they look awesome!

Lots of women have tried bitter nail polish which –of course- is supposed to keep your hand off your mouth because of its bitter taste. This has worked for some people, although stubborn nail-biters keep on with the habit (even when the polishing is absolutely disgusting).

We leave you 11 tips for you to stop biting your beloved nails.  

Milagros Duhart, Micaela Zavalía and Tamara Tissot - 5th Year

SPORTS: PROS & CONS

When we think about sports, there are almost no disadvantages presented. We see famous sports stars, like Lionel Messi or Manu Ginóbili enjoying their fame and opportunity to change things in the world. 

But, is there any negative aspect when referring to sports? We started investigating about this and found out that things are not always easy and that –sometimes- a great sacrifice must be done. 

Lionel Messi was born on June 24th, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, he tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys, a Rosario-Based Club.

Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.

To help him, Messi’s parents decided to start a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved to be impossible because they had to play several hundred dollars per month for the medication.

So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy -La Masia- and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi’s family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain. 

Here’s where his career began and where he became the famous football star admired by almost everyone.

As we can see, for Lionel to become the Messi known worldwide, he and his family had to make sacrifices and leave their homeland. As a child, he had to put up with daily injections and pain produced by the treatment.

After getting to know Lio's personal story, we asked ourselves whether there could be negative aspects about sports, such as the ones presented during Messi’s childhood.
With this idea in mind, we decided to interview two of the Physical Education (P.E.) teachers at school. Here’s what they had to say. 

Interviewing Soledad

BerthoTimes: When did you decide to be a P.E. teacher?
Sole: Well, I’ve always loved sports and when I finished the primary school I had already decided to be teacher. I always loved sports and teaching.

BT: Do you specialize in a particular sport?
Sole: Not really, I love dancing so I always teach my pupils (girls) rhythmical and artistic gym.

BT: What is your favourite thing about sports?
Sole: I like the comradeship. And I like team sports.

BT: Is it difficult to work with adolescents? Why?
Sole: Sincerely? Yes, because they are rebellious and it’s hard to put them limits.

BT: Is there any sport with more benefits than the rest?
Sole: Yes, in fact swimming and athletics are the most complete sports.

BT: Are there any negative things about sport?
Sole: When the sport is high performance, people don’t think in their bodies. Sometimes people think the achievement is more important than all the bad things that could happen to their bodies.

BT: Is there any risky sport for you?
Sole: I don’t like boxing because I don’t like watching people hitting each other; but is considered a sport.

Interviewing Gabriel

BT: Is it hard to work with children?Gaby: It’s not hard but sometimes you have to be patient; respect that, each stage has its things and complications and you have to know how to handle those issues.

BT: When did you decide to be a P.E. teacher?
Gaby: Since I was in the first year at the secondary school because I liked sports and teaching.

BT: Do you specialize in any sport?
Gaby: Yes, football.

BT: Have you got any favorite sport star?
Gaby: Yes, of course. Batistuta is my favourite player because I liked how he behaved in the football field and all the scores he made.

BT: Are there any negative aspects about sports?Gaby: The competition, because people can do anything just to win and they forget about the team spirit sports inspire.

BT: Is there any risky sport?Gaby: Yes, extreme sports; they give you a huge rush of adrenalin. Some people like that, although it could be dangerous.

After talking to them, we can now guess which are the sports pros and cons:

PROS 

• You get fit 
• You can become a millionaire Sports star like Lionel Messi 
• You get to visit other countries, learn different languages and cultures 
• You do what you like doing 
• You’ll stay healthy 

CONS

• Possible dehydration 
• You may have to leave your family or homeland behind 
• You can be injured 
• Tiredness 
• Muscular pain 
• Unhealthy competition 

When we talk about sports we generally think about the healthy side of everyday life. This is mostly true, because doing sports improves the quality of life. However, we must never forget that –to stay healthy- we have to respect our own limits, respect other people’s abilities and play fairly.

Abril Ludueña, Sofía Clocchiatti and Florencia Romero - 3rd Year 

TEENAGERS AND FOOD

Adolescence is a difficult life stage, as it represents the transition between being a child and starting to feel like a ‘grown-up’.

In this period, nutrition also brings difficulties because personality tends to get independent but vulnerable to social standards, which sometimes leads to ignoring meals that shall be replaced by 'pecking' and fast food consumed outside home.

It deserves a special mention the concern that teenagers have with their body image and in which conditions they carry out restrictive diets to get closer to an ideal of beauty, influenced by the social standards of the time, because that can lead to serious eating disorders. Therefore, it is very important that family knows how to pass on to the children respect and love for their body, at the same time as healthy eating habits.

Teenagers have nutritional needs marked by sexual maturation processes: they increase size and weight, body mass and bone mass; so it requires a greater amount of energy and nutrients as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, in a balanced way.

The needs are very different among adolescents and depend on their personal characteristics. This justifies the use of different types of diets, which cannot be generalized. Nevertheless, we do have a guide for a diet, indicated in the following Decalogue:

1. Your supply must be varied: our body needs different nutrients to be healthy, no food contains all the nutrients, so we should not always eat the same thing. Enjoy your meals in the company of family and friends, and see what others are eating, you may discover new food to give your body a greater amount of energy.

2. Consume fruits and vegetables: fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help keep you healthy and are the ideal complement for breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner.

3. Hygiene is essential for your health: you mustn’t touch food without washing your hands with soap and water first; brush your teeth after every meal and after brushing them at night, do not ingest food or drinks –except water-.

4. Drinking sufficient water is essential to keep the body well hydrated, since more than half of our weight is water. You should take at least 5 glasses of water per day. If it is very hot or you do an intense physical activity, you will have to increase fluid intake.

5. Make gradual changes: do not try to change your eating habits and behavior from one day to another. You'll find it easier to do it little by little, marking you concrete objectives every day, do not dispense with what you like, but try to make your diet balanced and containing all the nutrients.

 6. Consume food rich in carbohydrates: half of the calories in your diet should come from these nutrients, especially processed products made of wheat, cereals, potatoes, yucca and vegetables and not of sweet candies, chocolates and so on.

7. Maintain an appropriate weight for your age, according to your sex, height, body constitution, physical activity that you do, and hereditary factors.

8. Eat regularly: our body needs energy as vehicles need fuel to move. To get up after spending the night without eating, our energy level is very low, so you should have a good breakfast, take your snacks at mid-morning and mid afternoon. Also, your lunch should be full and your dinner should be satisfying.

9. Beam exercises: as a bicycle that is not used gets rusty, the same thing happens with muscles and bones, they must be kept active for them to work well. Try to do some exercise every day, for example take the stairs instead of using the elevator or, if you can, go walking to school. In your free time practice some physical activity.

10. Remember that there is no good or bad food. Avoid excesses: keep in mind that it is no good to eat too much or too little.

To sum up, balance and variety are the keys to make your diet healthy. This is the way to keep a good, strong figure to help you maintain a fine health and an enjoyable life.

Santiago Sevilla, Azul Melgarejo and Margarita Mercado – 5th Year