Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy at the age of 16 sparked debate about how young is too young to be a mum. While the teen Disney star has millions of dollars at her disposal, it's not that easy for the average teen mum in New Zealand to cope with a baby before they've even finished high school.

With the Domestic Purposes Benefit (DPB) back on the political agenda, New Idea spoke to two teenagers who are refusing to let an unplanned pregnancy hamper their ambition.

My amazing little girl

Sasha, 14, auckland

sasha Ogletree is used to strangers staring at her. It's not uncommon for the 14-year-old to be met with disapproving frowns, gasps and ‘weird' looks from passers-by as she wheels her baby daughter down the street. It would be difficult to hold your head high in the face of such blatant judgement, but Sasha is tougher than most girls her age.

The Auckland teen started lessons at Eden Campus Teen Parent School five weeks
ago, just six weeks after she welcomed baby Eva (which is pronounced ‘Ava') into the world. Incredibly, Sasha seems unfazed by the metamorphosis her life has undergone, from school dropout to a young mother juggling her studies.

‘I didn't know how I was going to cope with her,' Sasha admits. ‘I was so scared. But it's so much easier than I thought it would be. I've changed for the better. I'm
way more mature than I would have been.'

Sasha's courage is even more remarkable when you consider the circumstances that led her to this place in her life. She was date-raped at 13, and while this is not a subject she wants to talk about, you can imagine her horror at discovering she was pregnant.

‘I found out when I was five-and-a-half months along,' she recalls. ‘My stomach was completely flat and I'd had my period. I had migraines, and my mum always got really bad migraines when she was pregnant. So we went to the doctor to do a pregnancy test.

‘I was devastated when they told me. I cried and cried.'

Positive attitude

The late discovery meant an abortion would be unsafe.

‘I was really relieved [to not have to make that decision],' Sasha says.

‘My mum talked about adoption, and said she could take the baby if I wanted. She said that whatever I wanted to do, she would support me the whole way. When it came to the decision of adoption, in the end I got too attached.'

Sasha's boyfriend, who is not Eva's father, broke up with her a few weeks before she gave birth because he was not ready to help raise a child.

Continuing her education was the furthermost thing from Sasha's mind but when a social worker introduced her to Eden Campus, she realised it was a viable option.

‘When I came here I saw that it was fun and there was a great group of girls,' she says.

During school hours Eva is looked after by staff at the school's in-house childcare centre. When she cries, Sasha is called in to breastfeed.

‘It can be hard to complete stuff when you've got to be called out of the room,' Sasha says. ‘You have things on your mind all the time, like, "Do I have enough nappies?"'

Sasha is committed to completing Year 10 (fourth form) this year in maths, English, science and social studies, and hopes to complete NCEA through to Level 3 in Year 13. She is interested in becoming a pilot or a magazine editor, and says English is her best subject. She has strong advice for young mums, urging, ‘Don't give up on your education just because you think it's hard - you can do it!'

Despite the challenges, Sasha, who lives at home with her mum and her 18-year-old sister (her father passed away three years ago), adores parenthood. She will not be eligible for the DPB until she turns 18.

‘Having a baby was something I wanted but not this young, maybe at around 23,' she says. ‘I never thought I would be a young mum. I was a school leader in primary school so I was high up there, and now I'm a teenage mum.

‘But I can't imagine living without her; she's the most amazing little thing. Even
the waking up in the middle of the night isn't that bad. Everything's great!' Adoring young mother Sasha is determined to finish her Year 10 studies.

‘Don't give up on your education just because you think it's hard - you can do it'

I will provide for her

Rosey, 19, Tauranga

Falling pregnant at the age of 16 could have completely derailed Rosey Shephard's dream of a high-flying career in the financial sector, but a teen parenting unit has enabled the Tauranga mum to get back on track with her education.

Rosey first heard about Te Whakatipuranga School for Young Parents through her midwife, but a long waiting list meant she couldn't secure a place until her daughter was seven months old. Initially Heaven-Leigh, now two, slept in a bassinet at the back of the classroom, but at the age of seven months she was enrolled in the daycare centre just down the road.

‘Ever since I was little I've had a goal of having a career and earning lots of money,' says Rosey, now 19. ‘I always said I wouldn't have children because I wanted a career, but once I had her there was no way I could have given her back.'

Rosey was six months pregnant when she learnt she was going to be a mum. She thinks she conceived after she first started taking the pill, in the seven-day window before it offers protection.

Initially her boyfriend was excited by the pregnancy but the couple broke up not long before Heaven-Leigh's birth and have since fallen out completely. He is no longer involved in Heaven-Leigh's life but this may change when Heaven-Leigh is older.

Under pressure

‘I had a fair idea I was pregnant before I found out but I was in denial a bit,' Rosey admits. ‘Because I was so far along I could only keep the baby or put it up for adoption. I'm not against adoption but I couldn't give birth to a baby and adopt it out.

‘I was really scared because I only had four months to get everything [she needed]. I didn't know much about babies and I had to get things like a pram, a car seat. At first my mum was devastated, only because she had high hopes and dreams for me. But now she loves Heaven-Leigh.'

Rosey's parents, Heather and Charlie, pledged their support, but it was a difficult adjustment for them all.

‘It wasn't the ideal set of circumstances I would wish for my precious daughter,' Heather says. ‘I felt she was very young for such a huge job and didn't approve of Heaven-Leigh's father.

‘I could see that he was probably not going to be supportive, so that meant I'd have to be even more supportive than I would normally be in the role of grandma.'

The responsibility of motherhood forced a dramatic change on Rosey. The mature teen now has little in common with the unfettered friends from her pre-motherhood days.

‘The first couple of months were quite hard,' she says. ‘Heaven-Leigh had jaundice and screamed a lot and I didn't know what to do with her. But most of it comes
to you naturally. I had an overwhelming sense of wanting to protect her and look after her.'

Heather is proud of her daughter's transformation.

‘Rosey has embraced motherhood and shows a lot of heart and determination
to be the best mum she can under quite difficult circumstances,' she says.

Without Te Whakatipuranga, Rosey probably would have abandoned her Education. She is studying Year 12 (sixth form) accounting, maths, computing and English and hopes to complete a commerce degree and become a financial analyst.

Hardworking student

‘Everyone's in the same situation here,' Rosey says. ‘There's no having to explain yourself like you would in high school. And there's more leniency in terms of having days off if the baby is sick.

‘Homework can be quite difficult. You have to leave it until she's asleep or else she wants to draw all over it!'

The hardworking student, who lives with her mum and receives the DPB, is determined to realise her career goal.

‘I'm all for stay-at-home mums but it's a lot easier if you have a partner,' she says. ‘I know I have to be the breadwinner. I want to do that in a good way and not just work in
a supermarket. I want to be able to provide her with as much as I possibly can.'

By Trudie McConnochie

Educating our school-age mums

There are 17 schools for teen parents in New Zealand funded by the Ministry of Education. Eden Campus Teen Parent School is one of four such units in Auckland. It has 25 students aged between 14 and 19 who live across the city, and teacher-in-charge Janice Snellgrove says there is a waiting list.

The school is governed by the board of trustees at Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS), its ‘host school', but is located in Mt Eden, off the AGGS campus. There are no fees to attend but students pay $10 a week to cover lunch for themselves and their child, which they prepare on a roster system.

Students follow the mainstream NCEA curriculum and most courses are taught by correspondence. For support, students can call on Janice, a science teacher, or one
of four part-time staff, each of whom specialises in English, maths, chemistry and humanities. The on-site early childhood centre cares for pre-school children, including newborns.

Te Whakatipuranga School for Young Parents in Tauranga has a similar structure. Its host school is Otumoetai College but it is located on the Bay of Plenty Polytech campus. It has 29 students and many more waiting for vacancies. Students study high school subjects by correspondence and teacher-in-charge Robyn Merritt supplements their learning with classes in life skills, such as budgeting and relationships. The school also offers tertiary subjects such as business administration, plus access to other polytechnic papers.

Babies are allowed in the classroom - there's an area for bassinets - but when they are old enough they must be placed in the polytech daycare centre a few doors down the road. The school is free of charge and students can prepare their own meals in the onsite kitchen. For more information visit www.teamup.co.nz/secondary/about/school or www.atpenz.org.nz

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