5 teen mums speak out

When Lindsay was 15 she was raped, found herself pregnant, and then miscarried eight weeks later. At 17 she discovered that she was pregnant again, by an abusive and violent man, who eventually deserted her halfway through the pregnancy. 'I had been told the year before by my doctor that I didn't stand a chance of having kids because of a problem with my ovaries,' she says. 'So when I got pregnant again I was over the moon, there was no way I would have got rid of him.'

On discovering she was pregnant, Lindsay received mixed emotions from her parents 'My mum was just as happy as I was when I found out I was pregnant and she enjoyed every moment of my pregnancy with me,' she says. 'My Dad, on the other hand, just laughed it off and called me a "silly cow".'

Although happy about her own situation, Lindsay admits it is hard, and believes that teenage mums could help prevent other youngsters from ending up in the same position by talking to them. 'Teen mums should be encouraged to visit local schools to tell other teenagers that it isn't all its cracked up to be, how hard it really is and what they wished they had done differently; then maybe the number of teen parents would reduce,' she says. 'If they are told about it by adults they won't really listen because they see it as another nag, as opposed to useful information.'

Like many before her, Lindsay knew the dangers of unprotected sex. 'I knew what a condom was and I knew about the pill, but I was one of those people who thought, "It will never happen to me".' Perhaps her idea of school visits would redefine this assumption, and make other teens realise how easily it could be any one of them.

Lindsay has had to deal with more personal trauma in her life than most twice her age. The consequences of rape can never be underestimated, and few are in the position to judge her or her decisions with any authority. She has come out the other side with a maturity, optimism and determination that she deserves to be proud of. 'I don't regret anything, I love my son to bits and I wouldn't change him for the world,' she says. 'I wouldn't turn back time and think, "maybe I should have waited a little while longer and have him later", because you only have to change one thing in your past, and your future might not be what it is today.'

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