Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
News
Original poster

Britain's youngest parents

24 replies

Parly · 18/12/2010 19:15

Firstly, I must point out that I'm not a reader of The Sun. Honestly. I only clocked this in the first place because of a message someone else sent with a link to the website.

So, Britain's youngest parents - aged 14.

I have no idea what to say to that.

OP posts:
rainbowinthesky · 18/12/2010 19:18

Really? I am surprised that 14 is the youngest.

FrostyAndSlippery · 18/12/2010 19:19

They aren't the youngest, there's a girl in my town who had a baby at 12. She is always in the papers.

Original poster
Parly · 18/12/2010 19:21

No - I know she isn't the youngest Mum in Britain. Think it's just the youngest "couple". Not that it makes much difference. Sad

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 18/12/2010 19:21

Maybe the father of the 12yo's baby is 15+, Frosty? So this girl isn't the youngest mum, but they're the youngest couple?

Geepers · 18/12/2010 19:24

Bit of a non-story isn't it? Surprised it made a national newspaper.

I had a baby younger than her, and my child's father was even younger than me and we certainly never made the papers and this was seventeen years ago.

FrostyAndSlippery · 18/12/2010 19:24

Yes fair point. Although I'm sure there was a 12yo girl recently too, the dad was 13 or 14.

Maybe they take the average age (a little complicated for Sun writers though...) :o

ragged · 18/12/2010 19:24

Maybe not youngest couple ever but youngest now.

FrostyAndSlippery · 18/12/2010 20:14

I never know what to think anyway. It is shocking, which is exactly what the papers want of course.

My DSDs friend is pregnant at 15. I was quite Shock but I am determined not to show any negativity to my DSDs, why shouldn't this girl be a good mum? Must be awful to have people assume you'll fail.

I've heard, for example, of young mums-to-be being told by midwives that they definitely wouldn't BF Angry

CardyMow · 19/12/2010 00:45

I had my DD when I was 16yo. When I asked the MW to help show me how to latch her on, the MW turned to me and said "Don't be stupid, 16 year old's don't BF, I'll go and get you a bottle of formula". Admittedly this was nearly 13 years ago - but I told her to bog off. I fed DD exclusively for 6 months, until I went back to work FT.

TwoIfBySea · 19/12/2010 00:54

The town where I used to live held that dubious record - the mother was 11 when she got pregnant. Worse still her mother was often around town gloating and boasting of how proud she was.

Right up to the point when it turned out it wasn't the 17 year old boyfriend who was allowed to "sleep over" who did the deed but instead it was the girl's older brother who had been abusing her regularly.

Sometimes these stories open up huge rifts in how life is for some people - there is more to a story than what you see on the cover.

FrostyAndSlippery · 19/12/2010 09:48

OMG loudlass what a silly MW. Well done for telling her where to go :o

rainbowinthesky · 19/12/2010 10:00

Big applaud for loudlass!!!

Abcinthia · 19/12/2010 11:09

I had my DD at 17 and in the Teenage Mum Antenatal Clinic, there were plenty of girls under 14.

I tried to BF my DD but due to problems, I had to bottle feed after 5 weeks. My midwife was truely shocked that I even wanted to try becuase she didn't know any other young mums who did.

FrostyAndSlippery · 19/12/2010 11:55

Many professionals were amazed that I wanted to bf due to my age, and I was 20!

ISNT · 19/12/2010 12:14

What is wrong with these HCPs Angry

TotorosOcarnina · 19/12/2010 12:15

MIL got pregnant to a 13 year old at 13 herself and had BIL at 14.

am surprised this is the youngest TBH!

kreecherlivesupstairs · 20/12/2010 05:49

Me too. I worked with a woman who had her DD at 13 then her DD had a baby at 14. Colleague was a granny at 27.

theexample · 20/12/2010 11:07

From an evolution standpoint, if a girl can physically have a baby at 14, she is physically ready to have one. Is she ready mentally? That obviously varies on an individual basis. I'm sure there are women in their 30s and 40s who aren't mentally ready.

BadgersPaws · 20/12/2010 11:55

"From an evolution standpoint, if a girl can physically have a baby at 14, she is physically ready to have one."

Absolutely not true.

The onset of a woman's fertility and the completion of physical development, in particular the pelvis, are not directly linked.

So it's quite possible for a young girl to fall pregnant and not be physically ready to carry the child to full term and birth.

In particular there is a problem in Africa where young girls fall pregnant and then either die in prolonged labour because of the size of their pelvis or suffer a fistula.

thenightsky · 20/12/2010 12:10

I thought the youngest was in Brighton... that lad who was 9 - Alfie something or other?

Abcinthia · 20/12/2010 15:29

I agree with BadgersPaws.

When I was pregnant, I met many 14 year olds and younger who were having to have C-Sections becuase their pelvis was not wide enough to pass a baby through.

EricNorthpolesChristmas · 20/12/2010 17:52

Alfie something or other didn't end up being the dad of that baby nightsky. He didn't look like he'd evengone through puberty :(

atswimtwolengths · 20/12/2010 23:55

What was funny about the couple you're talking about, OP, was that they said the baby wasn't planned. They were 13 when she got pregnant.

lololizzy · 21/12/2010 00:04

agree with Badgerpaws, read a book on that, shocking. Really heartbreaking.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread