5 teen mums speak out

Lisa was 15 when she fell pregnant. Her mother died when she was 13 and she had never known her father. After the death of her mother she found herself homeless, camping down at friends houses, or staying in youth hostels. At the time she was rarely at school, and in her own words considered herself to be on the 'wrong side of the track.' Looking back now she describes her baby as a 'godsend'.

'When I first found out I was pregnant I was terrified and shocked,' she says. 'I was numb and just carried on with my life as normal, but then I realised I had to make a lot of changes and some big decisions.'

Lisa's troubled background contributed to her decision to keep her baby, as opposed to a termination. 'I couldn't do it,' she says. 'I was very naive. I thought pregnancy was like a game and I was lonely. I wanted a baby to cuddle, this isn't what the reality is like, though.'

With no family support and few friends to help her, Lisa struggled. 'Most older mums have the support of their husbands and families,' she says. 'But the community doesn't help teenage mums to do their best. When I was noticeably pregnant, people looked down on me, even the professionals in the banks or at my local centre. People automatically assume that we are bad mothers, all on welfare and scabbing off the taxpayer, but I work and contribute to society positively, and am a very good mother. Being shunned by society doesn't help me or my child to succeed, the stereotype needs opposition.'

Although her baby has created a positive focus in her life, Lisa admits that life is still tough. 'I don't have time to do everything; school, work, being a mum. Sometimes everything gets too much and I'm disillusioned and get very depressed,' she says. 'It's hard to find the strength to fix it up and keep trudging on. I worry about my ability to succeed and be happy later on in life. I am not doing so well at school, and that's upsetting and frustrating because I try to study hard.'

On love and marriage, Lisa remains realistic and positive. 'I'm still only 16 and don't think that guys my age are mature enough right now. I don't think that I am ready either,' she says. 'I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, but I definitely want to get married some day'. Although her future remains a little uncertain at the moment, Lisa remains resolute. 'I realise that there is still lots that I can do, its just more difficult with a child,' she says. 'I still don't know what I want to be when I am older, but I am determined to succeed in any path that I do eventually choose.'

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