Children having children! Over a million American teenagers become pregnant every year and over half a million give birth. While ignored in the past, the problem has now become a "burning national concern." Teen parenting has been linked to various problems, including high rates of infant mortality and morbidity, social/economic risks to the family, and developmental risks to the child. This research investigated differences between 100 adolescent women and 100 young adult women expecting their first child. The subjects were interview during their third trimester of pregnancy, followed through the births of their infants, and observed interacting with their infants at 3-5 weeks post-partum. Based on the pre-partum data, a significant difference was found for knowledge about infants and infant care, with the young adult women possessing greater knowledge. The two groups did not differ on their perception of caretaking competence nor on their maternal-fetal attachment
