An 11-year-old British girl has set an all-new (worrisome) record— as the youngest-ever mom to give birth in the United Kingdom!
“This is the youngest mother I’ve heard of,” Dr. Carol Cooper, as cited in the New York Post. “Weight affects many hormones. Because children are heavier, puberty is happening earlier these days,” she added.
Not much has been disclosed about the health implications of such an early-age delivery, as she was all of 10 when she got pregnant. The delivery occurred after she was more than 30 weeks along. Incidentally, the girl’s family was taken aback by the development, which they allegedly had no idea about.
Social services and a council chief have been roped in to delve deeper into the matter. However, ongoing investigations aside, the girl and her baby’s well-being are the only priority at the moment. “She’s now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK,” stated a source to the outlet.
Dr. Cooper, who took on the girl’s case, revealed to an outlet that accidental pregnancies, albeit uncommon, aren’t as rare as one believes. She further reiterated that the startling trend is observed in “around one in every 2,500 births”. The incidents often revolve around it being someone “who either did not know she is pregnant or has hidden it from their family and friends.”
The victims often keep the episodes of abuse in the dark, in fear of being further traumatized. Pre-teen and teen pregnancies are often accompanied by serious health consequences, aside from exposing underlying issues. Not too long ago, in 2014, a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy became parents, setting a record as the lowest combined age of parents in Britain.
In 2017, there was a disclosure about an 11-year-old girl who had given birth, but no more details were revealed. In a similar instance in Britain, a 12-year-old named Tressa Middleton was labeled the country’s youngest mother who became pregnant after being raped by her own brother. While the child was handed over to social care, as reported in Daily Mail, the brother was thrown behind bars for the unpardonable offense.
