12-Year-Old Girl To Become UK's Youngest Mom
At age 12 and a half, an unnamed Scottish mother-to-be is set to become the youngest British person to give birth in 15 years.
The girl, who lives near Edinburgh, reportedly had unprotected sex with a teenage boy last August — one month before her 12th birthday. Speaking to The Daily Mail, she said that she met her unborn child’s 15-year-old father during a “drunken night out with friends.” Since the encounter, the boy has been charged with rape, and has been called to appear at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court on July 10.
Notwithstanding her pregnancy’s grim circumstances, the prospective preteen mom is excited to enter the next stage of life. "I didn't think I'd get pregnant because it was my first time. But I'm really excited and looking forward to being a mum,” she told reporters. "I can't wait to take the baby swimming and out for walks in the pram. I think I'll be able to cope as I've had lots of practice looking after my brothers.”
That said, she acknowledges the tremendous responsibility of parenthood. "I know how to feed a baby its bottle and I can change nappies. But I panic and cry if they're sick and I don't like giving them a bath because I'm a bit frightened,” she said. "It's good to know I'll have my mum here to help me if I need her."
The girl’s mother, who was initially opposed to the pregnancy, has now accepted the situation and agreed to take care of the child while the girl is at school. She told reporters that while she’s not too keen on becoming a grandmother, she is still proud of her child’s decision to keep the baby. “Now I'm used to the idea,” she said. “I'm really looking forward to having another baby in the house.”
Though extreme, the situation is not unique. In 1997, 12-year-old Jenny Teague became Britain’s youngest mother when she gave birth to a baby girl. The youngest confirmed mother in medical history is Lina Medina — a Peruvian woman who gave birth at age 5 in 1938.
But while the girl may be physiologically fit to produce a child, her lifestyle choices hardly align with good parenting. She has allegedly been smoking 20 cigarettes a day throughout her entire pregnancy. “I can give up smoking at any time,” she told reporters. “But I don't find it affects my pregnancy.”