Profile of neonates born to adolescent mothers at Nepal medical college teaching hospital.

Pregnancy in adolescence is often associated with maternal complications as well as preterm delivery, low birth weight babies and small for date babies. A retrospective study was carried out in 350 adolescent women who delivered child at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital (NMCTH), Attarkhel, Kathmandu from April 2005 to February 2009. Data were obtained from the case record register. Prevalence of pregnancy in adolescence was 11.1%. Majority of adolescent mother were aged between 17-19 years, belonging to Mongolian ethnicity, Hindu by belief and residing within Kathmandu Valley. More than 90.0% mothers were primigravida and 85.4% had complete antenatal check up (ANC). Normal vaginal delivery was the predominant mode of delivery (84.6%), followed by lower section caesarean section (LSCS) (14.0%) and instrumental delivery (1.1%). In newborn, male outnumbered female (59.7% versus 40.3%). A reasonable number of preterm (10.9%), low birth weight (12.3%), small for gestational age babies (7.4%) and neonates with birth asphyxia (10.3%) were noted. These newborns are often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent teenage pregnancy by providing adequate access to health facilities and raising awareness about the sex and reproductive health amongst this population.