I became a mum at 13 – I was so young I don’t remember life before having kids, I’ve been working since 14 to get by
A TEEN MUM has shared some of the struggles she has faced, after giving birth at just 13-years-old.
Now 24, Gabbie Egan has been a mother for over 10 years, and said that some of her earliest memories involve her son.
Taking to TikTok, the young mum revealed that as soon as she gave birth she “graduated into adulthood” and no longer saw herself as a child.
She said: “Everyone had different expectations of me because I was now a mum, but inside, I still felt like a child”.
Gabbie revealed that in order to provide for her son, she started working at a pizza shop at just 14 years old.
She added that her life looked completely different to that of other teenagers, as instead of being excited about her “sweet 16” birthday celebrations, she was just glad to finally be old enough to get a driving licence, so that she could drive her son around.
She said: “It feels like I graduated into being an adult so soon, but in the same breath, I never got the chance to be independent because I lived with my parents until I was 17”.
After moving out of her parent’s house at 17, Gabbie joined the army, where she met her now-husband Cody.
Gabbie revealed that her son, now 10 is “practically like a sibling” and said the pair have become best friends.
She said that she loves her son more than anything, and is happy with the way her life turned out, but wishes she had had the chance to figure out who was on her own.
Although she said that the most important thing to her is that she has always been a good mum, she admitted that she still has no idea what she is doing with her life.
The young mum added that she still has a lot of emotional baggage to carry, after giving birth so young,
Sharing a message to young girls she said: “Just wait.
“There’s so much life to live before having kids”.
Gabbie’s video, which was posted under the username @bbyegan_, has likely struck a chord with many people, as it has racked up 600,000 views on the video sharing platform.
UK Teen Mum Statistics
Teen pregnancies in the UK have been decreasing considerably since 2007...
The under-18 conception rate has decreased considerably since 2007, reports Nuffield Trust.
Between 2007 and 2021, the under-18 conception rate in England and Wales decreased by 68%, from 42 per 1,000 women to 13 per 1,000 women.
This resulted in 13,131 under-18 conceptions in England and Wales in 2021.
TikTok users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts, with many people sharing similar experiences.
One person said: “I had my first kid at 15 so I totally understand how you’re feeling.
“I don’t remember life before my kid and I don’t know who I am other then being a mum”.
A second person said: “I was a mum at 15 and I don’t remember who I was before motherhood.”
A third person said: “I had my baby girl at 15, I’m 24 and she’s 8 now. It’s just me and her and it is not easy but I wouldn’t change having her for anything.”
A fourth person said: “I’ve been a mum since 19, and have three kids now at 26.
“I truly feel the same sometimes, I don’t know who I am.”
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