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CDC: Almost 20 Percent of Teens Births is Not Their First

By Jennifer Broderick | Update Date: Apr 02, 2013 09:08 PM EDT

Almost 20 percent of all babies born to teenagers ages 15-19 in the U.S. are baby No. 2 or 3, federal researchers reported on Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that out off the 365,000 teenagers who gave birth in 2010, almost 67,000 (18.3 percent) have had at least one child already. That's down from 19.5 percent in 2007.

The CDC said that are more likely to be underweight and to have other health problems and that teenagers having more than one baby means they still didn't get the message about effective birth control usage.

The agency says that repeat birth rates are highest among the Latino, black and Native American communities. Still, repeat births aren't as common as they were in 2007 - they've declined about 6 percent since then.

"Although teen birth rates have been declining for the last two decades, in 2010, more than 367,000 teens aged 15-19 years gave birth," the CDC said in its report.

"Teen pregnancy and childbearing can carry high health, emotional, social, and financial costs for both teen mothers and their children," the CDC adds in a statement.

"Teen mothers want to do their best for their own health and that of their child, but some can become overwhelmed by life as a parent. Having more than one child as a teen can limit the teen mother's ability to finish her education or get a job. Infants born from a repeat teen birth are often born too small or too soon, which can lead to more health problems for the baby."

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