5 teen mums speak out

Anna met Dave when she was 15 and he was 19. After eight months, she discovered she was pregnant, and gave birth to a little girl when she was 16. 'It was never planned and we could have taken better precautions to prevent it from happening,' she says. 'I know it sounds silly but you never think it's going to happen to you.'

Anna spent the first part of her pregnancy in denial. When she finally visiting the Family Planning Clinic, almost five months into her pregnancy, an appointment was made for a termination. Despite the fear and confusion she felt at the time, she was never offered counselling. Though she did set off on the journey to the clinic, Anna never made the appointment. On the train back home, she felt her baby kicking for the first time.

Anna's life changed dramatically when she became a mother. Her friends slowly drifted away, and her hopes and aspirations changed with her new role. Anna is clearly very bright; she passed her GCSE's (despite being five months pregnant) with ease, and had plans to become a Veterinary nurse. She had done work placements, was at the right college and on the path to getting the right qualifications, but something was still wrong. 'I was having second thoughts,' she says. 'I think I was trying to please my parents and I was scared that if I didn't do this, then I would not do anything.' Anna felt backed into a corner, discovering her pregnancy seemed like the only way out.

'My parents were surprised and shocked,' she says. 'I did well in school, behaved, and they never expected anything like this. The first thing Mum said was that I had ruined my life. I won't ever forget that. Dave's mum didn't take to it too well either, I think she thought I had ruined his life as well.'

Despite Anna's initial fears and reservations, she was fortunate to have fantastic support from her health visitor, who recognised the symptoms of PND instantly, and helped her to recover. 'She never judged me or told me what to do,' she says. 'With her help, and that of my doctor, we were offered our own house when Aimee was four months old.'

Anna has stuck by her decisions and has managed to achieve a harmony and direction in her life that many older women would be jealous of. 'My husband Dave was my support, and he was all I wanted and still do. We have been together for seven years and married for five and a half,' she says. 'It has been tough but we are together, have our own home, car and two daughters. I don't regret anything that I have done and Aimee was not a mistake, just a nice and unexpected surprise.'

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