What's it like being a younger mum?

[2quidfalafels]

Whenever anyone I know talks about having kids, they say 22 (my age) is far too young.

I don't feel ready for kids right now, but I can't really see why it would really be a problem if I did get pregnant and choose to see it through. 22 used to be quite a standard age for it in the past, didn't it?

Were any of you younger mums? How did you find it? Were people judgemental?

I was 23 with my first and 25 with my second. I grew up in a deprived area with a high teen pregnancy rate. Family told me I was too young and definitely tried very hard to deter me from going through with my first pregnancy. Lots of comments about me ending up a single mum (I’m not). I did get a couple of pointed comments from strangers about ‘young mums on benefits’ which was strange as have always worked full time.

Having DC young definitely spurred me on to earn well - I applied for a promotion while pregnant with the first and went for the final interview when DC was 6 weeks old. I think they appreciated my dedication and gave me the job with a decent pay rise. I was then the main breadwinner for 10 years and DH went part time.

We bought a house when I was 25, just after the crash in 2008. So were able to get a decent house at a good price by a tube station. Now mid thirties with only 10 years left to pay on mortgage, two full time careers and no childcare to pay.