Student No.

823 111 273

Juno
Student Name: Parita Patel
Student No: 823 111 273
Date of Submission: November 18, 2014
Professor: Eva Hearn

Student No. 823 111 273

Juno
Many health challenges have an immense impact on the client and their family due to the
sudden changes. Movies show how clients and families cope with health challenges and how the
progress affects their life. In the movie Juno, the main character, Juno MacGuff, decides to have
sex with boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker, because they really have nothing better to do. They are both
in high school and are in a way experimenting with sex. She ends up getting pregnant, and
instead of having an abortion she decides to give the baby to an adoptive family that really in
need. Meanwhile, her loving father and stepmother do their best to keep calm and help her
through the process. Things are strange between Juno and Paulie and they aren't together for
most of the time. Juno meets with the adoptive family, the mom is a neat freak but the dad is a
rocker and music composer which she likes. Juno and the adoptive father begin to have a strange
relationship and eventually he admits to Juno that he is leaving his wife to live in the city. Juno is
heartbroken, as is the adoptive mother. Juno then drops off a note to the adoptive mother that
says "If you're still in, I'm still in". In the end, she gives the baby to the adoptive mother, makesup with boyfriend Paulie, and decides not to be a part of the baby's life. The health challenge
faced in this film is pregnancy and there are both physical and psychosocial effects that arise on
both the client and the family. In this movie, the area of priority a nurse should plan holistic care
would be psychosocial as pregnancy effects not only the client but the people around the client.
In the following paper, nursing intervention, interprofessional collaborative care and community
resources will be provided to help find solutions to decrease the client and support systems
changes throughout the pregnancy.
A teenage pregnancy carries both physical and psychosocial consequences for the
mother, as well as for the unborn baby. Physical effects include weight gain, different changes in

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the body, and nutrition. During pregnancy weight gain is an obvious physical change that is
noticed throughout the months. Junos belly starts to grow day by day and with that growth,
stretch marks and swollen feet is a major effect as one starts to think of themselves as being fat.
This is seen when Juno states, Despite the fact that I'm in a fat suit that I can't take off.... She
starts to realize different changes in her body and this is seen through the dialogue, I look like a
planet. To overcome this situation, Juno tries to seek the attention of Mark, the adoptive parent.
This shows the physical embarrassment Juno feels because of body changes. Being pregnant as a
teenager, more nutrients are needed because the body is still growing. However in the movie
healthy food is shown as a major difficulty. Juno being a sixteen year old girl is likely to fancy
fast food which is not appropriate in this condition. Though her parents can well afford the same,
but ignorance and carefreeness regarding healthy food is perceived as a concern. Throughout the
movie, psychosocial affects was a major challenge in the unplanned pregnancy. Juno had to
make adult like decisions during her teenage years which leads her to mature quicker than
expected. She has the responsibility of another human being and she does that with confidence
with the help and support of her family members. She had to deal with rude comments from
school mates, judgmental stares from school secretaries, snide comments from ultrasound
technician, and rudeness from Paulies mom. She bares this with humor and a resilience that
comes from a life that has been difficult through the years. Even though she had to bare many
obstacles on her own, her family and friends have always supported her decisions. An example
of this would be when Junos stepmother takes her to the clinic and her stepmother yells at the
ultrasound technician for insulting her daughter. All the way through the pregnancy, physical and
psychosocial effects have come into factor in this health challenge and Juno had faced them with
courage for the best interest of her baby.

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Looking at the physical and psychosocial factors, the priority holistic nursing care to
provide would be psychosocial. Going through pregnancy as a teenager had many impacts on
how ones life changes with family and how they change as a person. They have the
responsibility of a child when they are still a child themselves. In Junos case, giving away your
child is a tough decision to make but since she had a good support system, she is able to make
decisions with confidence. When learning about the pregnancy, Junos dad and stepmother were
in complete shock yet they were supportive. The decision to maintain the pregnancy and the
give it up for adoption will result in a traumatic experience for the teen. If she desires the
pregnancy, either consciously or subconsciously, having to give up the baby will be experienced
as a tremendous and devastating loss. Adoption is not a decision a teen makes aloneat some
point her parents will help her decide (Bartell, 2005). Both her parents are supportive in helping
her find an adoptive couple who can provide her baby the best. Along with the pregnancy, Juno
struggles with the fact that she is going to be a teenage mother, who is also extremely smart and
aware of her own limitations. Upon learning about the pregnancy she has the thought of aborting
the child but does not go along with it as she sees life producing inside her. She deals with the
remarks and stares of classmates as she continues to attend classes, opting to stay in school
instead of transferring to a substitute school. The social network in the movie has been shown by
the support system she carries along. Juno has strong support from her social surroundings like
her best friend, her boyfriend and her parents which help the progression of her pregnancy in a
healthy condition. Psychosocial development is seen in this movie as Juno starts to put another
life before her, which is her unborn baby by looking for a good adoptive home for the baby.
When Juno realizes Mark is going to leave Vanessa, she is repulsed and has second thoughts on
whether to give the baby or not. She felt they would be the perfect traditional family with a

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happy married couple and child. Realizing Vanessa would be a more capable mother for the
child, she gives the baby to be raised by Vanessa as a single mother. This shows she is becoming
an adult and is able to make decisions for the well-being of her child as she is not emotionally
ready to take care of a child.
Nursing specific interventions can aid in enhancing comfort and positivity to a pregnant
women. Juno is a first time mother who is emotionally not ready to take care of a baby as an
adolescent. One way to cope with an unplanned pregnancy as an adolescent is by encouraging
her to record their experience by using a diary. They can write the progression of the weeks and
how this is effecting the development of oneself through this process. The second way is by
talking about what she can do during the pregnancy and how she can stay healthy emotionally.
This can include short sessions each week to discuss how she is feeling about the pregnancy. For
example, the sessions can include diet plans she can follow and allow her to express her how she
is coping with the judgmental remarks she receives from other people. Lastly, providing
resources, such as books about pregnancy, to both the adoptive parents and the client so they
know what is going on with the changes in the body and how the baby is devolving. This can be
an opportunity for bonding. In order to achieve these interventions, the help of other
professionals is well needed. To see the development of the baby and check for proper progress,
the gynecologist plays an important role. The gynecologist can check for any infection or any
other abnormalities that might occur. To reduce the chances of infection, proper nutrition is
adequate with the help of a dietitian. They can help set up a diet plan that Juno can follow for
nourishment of herself and the baby. Lastly, social workers can provide counselling for both
Juno, her parents and the adoptive parents. They can discuss any issues that are concerning and
offer suggestions to find a way to manage the situation. Social workers can also help provide

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resources available to you in the hospital and in the community. Some community resources that
can be of use are Mount Sinai Hospital and Teenage Mother Program (YWCA). Mount Sinai
Hospital can help you how to stay fit after the pregnancy and how to lose pregnancy fat. There is
also a session that helps first time mothers cope with pregnancy. The other resource is Teenage
Mother Program (YWCA). They offer free support program for mother between the ages of 1422 and they provide activities, healthy snacks, and career guidance. This can help with the
development of Juno from being a pregnant teenager to a mature woman for the future.
Furthermore these nursing interventions, interprofessional collaboration and community
resources can help increase comfort and create a positive attitude towards future pregnancies.
In conclusion, the movie Juno is about a teenager who gets an unplanned pregnancy
making it a major health challenge. It gives a broad prospect of how physical and psychosocial
factors effect this health challenge. The physical changes are seen on both outside and are felt in
the inside by the baby. Juno starts to see herself as being fat and unattractive because of the
extended belly. Social influence towards moral values is described through strong decision
making skills on subject like abortion and adoption. With the immense support from her family
and friend, she is able to go through with the pregnancy and able to give her baby away to a
couple longing for a child, which put the psychosocial factor into effect. Since the film portrays
the difficulty of a teenager going through pregnancy and the strong social support, psychosocial
is the priority holistic care. Juno had to develop into an adult over a short period of time because
of the sudden circumstances. She had to make decisions about her child, despite the fact that she
is still a child herself. In contrast, she went through many negative situations, yet managed to
ignore that negatives and focused on the positive words from her support system. In order to
make pregnancy easier, nursing intervention such as keeping a pregnancy diary, doing weekly

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sessions and providing resources can help this process less difficult. These could be done in both
the hospital with the help of interprofessional team members or with the help of community
resources. Juno shows the struggle of a teenager going through adulthood at a young age because
of an unplanned pregnancy, which also affected the family. Health challenges can be a challenge
but can be coped with, if the right measures are taken.

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References

Bartell, S. (2005). Family focus. Teen pregnancy: the impact on a family system. International
Journal Of Childbirth Education, 20(2), 19-21. Received from CINAHL Database on
November 17, 2014.

Mount Sinai Hospital

Contact: 416-586-4800 ext. 2307
Website: www.mountsinai.on.ca/care/prenatal-education-program/prenatal-classes
Reitman, J. (Director and Producer). (December 4, 2007). Juno (Motion Picture). Los Angeles,
CA: 20th Century Fox, 2008.
YWCA
Contact: Amy Brooks, Program Worker
416-266-1232 x30
abrooks@ywcatoronto.org
Website: www.ywcatoronto.org