When we hear stories about young mothers, the feelings that try us are contradictory. We blame them, we criticize them, on the one hand we would like to understand them…
A little while ago, I met three mothers from the Moldova area, more precisely from Iasi County, who became mothers when they themselves were children. Now they manage to raise their children with their parents or their husbands. After this experience, I said that we should find out their stories objectively, without prejudice.
“I didn’t think of harming the child”
Mihaela is 15 years old. In addition to school and household chores, she dedicates all her time to her 1-year-old and 2-month-old daughter. At 13, she fell in love with a boy older than her and soon became pregnant. She didn’t realize she was pregnant until six months later, when she got sick during gym class.
A simple check-up at the village doctor confirmed the pregnancy.
, Mihaela told me shyly. Now, she continues her schooling and is a student in the 9th grade at a professional school, majoring in Clothing Design. She goes to school every day and wants to learn as well as possible for herself and her little one.
“I am happy that they are healthy”
Laura is another mother who had children early. At 31, she already has seven children. Although neither she nor her husband have a job, Laura does everything possible to ensure that her little ones have the food, supplies and clothes they need.
“Now I am pregnant with my eighth child. The husband works in a stable, and I still go to work in the village during the day. I thank God that, however, my children are healthy. I didn’t do all the tests during pregnancy, due to lack of money. I don’t have many clothes for them, but I wash them, give them from one to another and I’ll still send them to school, just so they can learn books”, Laura said to me while she was “singing” the little ones.
In the small yard they have no electricity, gas or drinking water. ,,When they come home from school, I make them do their homework while it’s still light. If it gets dark, we manage with the helper to cook, wash and tidy up the rooms, but not to pore over textbooks”.
“I took care of them by the book”
Elena is 17 years old and is the mother of two beautiful and healthy children. The older girl is 1 year and 2 months old, and the younger one is only 2 months old. Full of emotion, Elena tells me that, only after a few months of relationship, her husband, seven years older than her, stole her from her parents. They ended up building the two rooms in which they raise their little girls themselves. “It was hard, especially since I didn’t have my family close by,” says Elena.
She devotes all her time to her children, and her husband goes to work in the village. She learned from an older book how to take care of little girls, but also the years spent with younger siblings whom she took care of were useful in her job as a “young mother”.
An early pregnancy has high risks
Since the body is constantly developing, pregnancy and birth during adolescence involve medical risks for both the mother and the baby. Serious genital infections, genetic defects, high blood pressure, spinal cord injury, premature birth, low birth weight and postpartum depression are just some of the risks of teenage pregnancy.
Given her young age, the expectant mother is not mentally prepared for such a responsibility either. In the absence of moral support from the parents, the teenage mother tends to isolate herself from those around her. Later, the lack of rest and proper nutrition can later lead to the appearance of more serious health problems.
