Who is the youngest mum in the world?
In an incident that has rocked the news circuit, an 11-year-old girl has become the youngest mum in the United Kingdom. She became pregnant at the age of 10 and delivered earlier this month, according to The Sun.
What can you read in this article?
- Who is the youngest Mum in the world?
- The risks of delivering at this tender age
The baby was delivered after more than 30 weeks of gestation.
Mum and Baby doing “OK” but the matter is now being investigated
Image courtesy: iStock
The girl’s family had no idea about the pregnancy until she gave birth. This led to the involvement of the social services and council chiefs, who are now investigating the matter.
As a source working with the family told The Sun, “There are questions around why people did not know. That is very worrying.”
The relief, however, is that both the mum and the baby are fine. “She’s now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK,” the source added.
It remains to be seen if the identity of the father of the child would be revealed or what would happen to this baby.
However, this is not the first such incident. The world has seen many young girls give birth even before they hit their teen years.
Who is the youngest Mum in the world?
A few years ago, Lina Marcela Medina de Jurado, was termed as the youngest mother in the world. A Peruvian by birth, she was just five years, seven months, and 21 days when she gave birth.
Another ‘young’ mum was UK-based Tressa Middleton, who gave birth in 2006 when she was only 12. The father of Tressa’s baby was her older brother, who had raped her when he was 16 and she was just 11-years-old.
In another incident that occurred in 2014, a girl aged 12 and a boy ages 13 became the youngest British parents.
The list does not end here. Here are few more instances of pregnancy at a young age.
Who is the youngest mum in the world? | Image courtesy: iStock
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Teen pregnancy: Risks and dangers
Medina delivered at the age of 5 years and 7 months in Peru. Her parents thought that their daughter had a tumour and therefore, took her to the hospital for a check-up.
But, they were shocked to find that she was seven months pregnant by then. The young girl gave birth 1+1⁄2 months later. The doctors after questioning Medina’s parents concluded that the girl had entered into precocious puberty. The incident happened in 1939.
Baby weight: 2.69 kg
H
A 6-year-old known only as “H” gave birth to a girl in India by c-section. Her parents admitted her to the hospital for an abdominal tumor as she would often complain of pain in her lower abdomen.
According to reports, the girl had never menstruated and her breasts were still far from being fully developed, but she still breastfed her child for nine months.
Baby weight: 1.90 kg
The young girl was 5 years when she was raped by her maternal grandfather. She had her 6th birthday several days before giving birth. Liza’s parents didn’t want the doctors to do a c-section, as it was considered dangerous at that time.
So she gave birth with the help of forceps and retractors. The baby, unfortunately, died during labour due to an early placental tear. Even though the baby was born healthy, doctors said the infant could have been saved if the child had been extracted more quickly, revived, and given oxygen.
Baby weight: 3 kg
The risks of delivering at this tender age
Speaking about puberty and young girls’ ability to become pregnant, expert Dr. Carol Cooper told The Sun that the average age at which a girl begins puberty is 11 years. It can be anytime between 8 and 14-years and the weight of the girl plays an important role.
“Because children are heavier, puberty is happening earlier these days,” she added.
Delivering a baby at this young age is obviously risky – both for the girl and the baby. There’s a higher risk of a low-birth-weight baby, premature labor among others.
As Dr. Cooper shares, “Around one in every 2,500 births happens to someone who doesn’t know she’s pregnant (or has hidden it).”
News source: The Sun
