Born in 2020 -Open and Honest

Teenage pregnancy still comes as surprising news to a family and the public especially to those who are still dependent upon their parents and/or continue to live at home. As a volunteer at Thula Trust, I have ample opportunities to promote the rights of pregnant teenagers and teen mums and to assist them in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. I recently supported Caro (not her real name) who like many of our beneficiaries got pregnant at sixteen. She was fun loving, bubbly girl and full of life. However, as we talked, I noticed that most of her questions sounded rehearsed, I wondered if it was due to confusion, complications of changes in her body or pressure from parents. I offered her reassurance and managed to make her feel comfortable to share. As she relaxed, I realised that she had the ability to make sound and realistic decisions, so I kept neutral and rather enhanced her decision-making capacity so that I avoid informing her decisions myself. As the assessment progressed, I was able to gather, How she is managing her emotions during pregnancy (mental& physical health), Her financial condition and family support, duration of the pregnancy and whether she has been admitted for antenatal, Her family and the status of the father and Future education or other plans. We also managed start identifying her strength, weaknesses, and limitations.

As I reflected on this initial assessment, I realised that there were lot of loopholes due to time factor. It takes time for us to gain the trust of young girls and for them to be open and honest. This was reflected in my final report, as I found the information prior to assessment was different from actual information gathered during the meeting. To be fair, I was a stranger, interested in helping her, telling her I understand her situation was not enough to gain her trust. I found that it would take time to gain her trust, possibly a few more visits. Pregnant teenagers often face a lot of stigma and discrimination therefore being open and Honest for a pregnant teen means being vulnerable. This means trusting that they will not be judged by me (a stranger) as they are already judged by family, friends, and peers.

Most of our pregnant teenagers LIE about the most VITAL information, that is, how far gone ( in their pregnancy) they really are when they first come to us . However, without honest and correct VITAL information it is impossible for us to give timely interventions and providing appropriate advice, help and resources and signpost her to other services. As I continue to support Caro as a keyworker, I am trying creative ways to gain her trust by being available, keeping in touch via social media platforms and keeping her informed.