Health professionals have spoken out about the benefits of planning ahead for pregnancy.

According to the nurses at the Hamilton Health Centre, unplanned pregnancies can be stressful and family planning can assist the health and wellbeing of parents and their children.

“We’re not saying ‘don’t have children’ but rather pick an optimum time so that children, who are one of our greatest future resources and blessings, have the best options available to them,” Gloria Burgess said.

“Family planning allows parents to choose the best time psychologically, physically and financially to have a family.”

Ms Burgess is the family planning and maternal health co-ordinator at the clinic. She is assisted by a team, including public health nurses Rachel Card and Debora Oriol.

As the clinic continues to see a high rate of unplanned pregnancies, they are urging women to plan ahead and chose a secure time to have children so they can benefit from the best head start possible.

“Family planning is always about empowering women and their partners to choose the optimum time for having a child or children,” Ms Burgess said. “We realise that mistakes can happen and we don’t judge but we want the public to know that knowledge and planning are powerful tools in life.”

Ms Card added: “Give your child the best head start possible, is what we’re saying.”

According to Ms Burgess, the Hamilton Health Centre last year saw 109 unplanned pregnancies out of 120 total pregnancies.

This is a slight decrease from 2012 and 2013, which both saw 113 unplanned pregnancies out of a total of 124 and 120 respectively. While the numbers are not representative of the Island, the nurses said the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies they see is among women in their twenties, many of whom have either limited insurance or no insurance.

According to the nurses, unplanned pregnancies can be very stressful for parents, which can impact a mother’s psychological, physical, social and financial health, as well as the health of the child.

It can lead to social health issues, with pregnant women finding it harder to get work and sometimes not being supported by their partners or families.

Unplanned pregnancies can also result in “low self-esteem and general frustration from not being able to meet personal goals including educational goals”, Ms Burgess added.

“Often the frustration can be passed on to the children and partners in the form of abuse,” Ms Burgess added. “There may be food insecurities — unhealthy food choices and insufficient food for families because finances are often challenged.

“We can assist by offering free non-judgmental counselling. Our staff are experienced and skilled. We have an excellent rapport with other healthcare agencies to assist clients who have additional challenges.”

While unplanned pregnancies can be the result of incorrect contraception usage, or not using it in the first place, the nurses stressed that the cost of birth control is much lower than pregnancy.

According to Ms Oriol, the clinic sees a high demand for the morning-after pill, which is only 84 per cent effective.

This not only puts women at risk of falling pregnant, she said, but also susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

The nurses are therefore encouraging women to choose more reliable forms of contraception to look after their health and to empower them to make a conscious decision about when to have children.

“We really try to work with people and help find what suits them best,” Ms Card said. “Our visits are free and our medications and birth control prices are very affordable,” Ms Burgess added. “We will never refuse birth control to anyone who cannot afford it.”

According to Ms Burgess, the cost of a natural birth without insurance amounts to about $6,000. For a preterm delivery this can run into the hundreds of thousands.

But aside from childbirth expenses and the long-term cost bringing up a child, the nurses said psychological and physical health also needs to be considered.

Questions about how being pregnant and having a child will affect parents need to be asked, Ms Burgess said.

Physical health should be considered in terms of preparing the body for pregnancy, and keeping other health risks, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight or obesity, and poor dental health, which can lead to pregnancy complications, in check.

Care should also be taken with medications, other drugs and alcohol consumption, she said.

• For more information call 278-6441 or visit www.gov.bm.knowledgebase.co/category/health/maternal-health-family-planning-information/