20% Of Births in 2005 By Adolescents
Mother's Day is just around the corner and most Costa Ricans are busy shopping for that special gift for their mothers and mother-in-laws. From clothing, to perfume, to a refrigerator, to a car, Mother's Day is one of the biggest shopping periods for retailers.

However, there is another group mothers who will be celebrating Mother's Day at the playground, not only with other children, but with their babies.

These are mothers who still adolescents and make up a group that accounts for 20% of all births in 2005.

The Clínica de Adolescentes at the Calderón Guardia reports 50 new adolescent pregnancies every month. At the Adolfo Carit Eva  (Carit) women's hospital, 40 young girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth during 2005 and 20 births to young mothers have already been registered in 2006.

The Carit records indicate that in 2005 1.151 young girls between the ages of 15 and 19 left the hospital with babies in their arms. Nationally, 14.316 of the 71.584 births were to adolescent mothers.

One young girl, aged 12, identified only as Carolina will be celebrating her third Mother's Day this year, giving birth at the tender age of 9.

According to Danilo Median, Oscar Segreda and Jorge Ramirez, chief of gynecology at the Calderón Guardia, neonatologist at the San Juan de Dios and director at the women's hospital, respectively, adolescent pregnancies continue to grow.

And the numbers don't lie.

For Patricia Porras, who heads the program "Reciclando esperanzas" (recycling hope), she keeps strong to her faith in the face of the hard facts. Porras says that in the 20 years she has been running the program she has helped some 5.000 young girls smile and cry in the face of their situation. "I have seen young girls who still had their baby teeth die in labour", said Porras.