Credit: Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock

British Teen Mom Says Pregnancy Saved Her Life

by Gabriella Anaya | May 23, 2019

“When I met my boyfriend and got pregnant I realized that it couldn’t happen anymore.”, said Robyn, referring to her mother’s recollection of Robyn binge drinking and practicing unsafe sex with strangers. “I’m excited to meet my baby girl.” These are the words of Robyn, a 16-year old momma-to-be who made a complete U-turn as far as life choices go when she found out that she was pregnant. As a 4th generation teen mom, Robyn is only one of many minors who have gotten pregnant in her town with an alarming statistic of 43.8 per 1,000 teen girls conceiving.

British Teen Mom Says Pregnancy Saved Her Life

In Middlesbrough, England, where Robyn is from, there is an epidemic of teen pregnancy. England already has one of the highest statistics of teen pregnancy in Western Europe, but according to ONS, per 1,000 underage girls, there were 43.8 pregnancies on average in Middlesbrough alone making it the county with the largest number of recorded teen pregnancies. This 43.8 out of 1,000 already is a shocking ratio, but it looks even worse next to the national average in England and Wales which is at 17.9 pregnancies per 1,000 teens.

Following through on her promise to change her ways, Robyn no longer goes to get drunk at random parties, drinks at all, or smokes marijuana like she so often used to. Due in June, the teen mom is expecting a baby girl as the newest member of her family. Robyn’s mom, Shelly, is proud that Robyn has stayed true to her promise to change.

I’ve told Robyn it’s time to grow up now and she has- I’m proud of how she’s changed for her baby.
Robyn’s mom, Shelly

According to BBC news, Robyn claims that “Getting pregnancy at 16 saved [her] life.” What a wonderful life-change for Robyn to have done! Congratulations!

Teen Pregnancy in Western Europe

Credits: Africa Studio/ Shutterstock
**British Teen Mom Says Pregnancy Saved Her Life**

As far as teen pregnancy goes, the best way to prevent any unwanted pregnancies is through education and the accessibility of proper contraception whether it be condoms or birth control pills and Plan-B for emergencies. We can look at the example of how The Netherlands successfully has the lowest rate of teen pregnancy which is attributed to having excellent sex education in schools in addition to teenagers having access to contraception if they were to need it.

Do you have a story about how pregnancy saved your life? Let me know in the comments below.