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An 18-year-old Singaporean mums story

A mother at the tender age of 18, f ind out how this Singaporean girl kept her secret until just one day
bef ore her expected due date and how her story turned out to have a happy ending.

While her classmates

were spending their
junior college years
studying and hanging
out with their f riends,
this 18-year-old had a
dif f erent set of
problems towards the
end of her f irst college
year. Struggling to keep
a huge secret under
wraps, she
successf ully hid her
pregnancy f rom
everyone, including her
parents, until the day
bef ore her delivery.

RELATED: Teenage
mothers on the rise

Abortion was
too cruel An 18-ye ar-o ld te e nag e mo the r in Sing ap o re s hare s he r s to ry

Teenager Pauline (not her real name) knew that she had to keep the baby alive the moment she f ound out
she was pregnant with the child of her boyf riend f or three years. To her, abortion was too cruel and she
would not be able to live the rest of her lif e with the guilt of having taken away her childs lif e.

With this courageous decision, the troubled teen continue her pregnancy term without anyone f inding out, a
task which initially seemed dauntingly impossible.

Hiding her secret to study

Paulines worst f ear upon getting pregnant was that her school would f ind out and expel or disallow her
f rom taking her GCE A Level examinations at the end of her second year in college. Pragmatically
understanding the necessity of education and getting a good degree to secure her f uture, Pauline did all
that she could to keep her secret so that she would not have to def er school.

From buying another set of unif orm one size bigger to attending classes as usual so that no one would
suspect anything, Pauline tried her best to ensure that no one probed or f ound her out. T he determined
youngster even continued attending Physical Education (PE) classes and did 2.4km runs when required,
even when she was f our months pregnant.

Her f ortunately thin

Her f ortunately thin
f rame also helped her
to keep up the f acade
and her tiny belly made
her pregnancy so
inconspicuous initially
that her school did not
question her at all. T he
local teen only went f or
one prenatal check up
when she was f ive
months pregnant and
did without all the
attentive f uss and
f awning that mothers-
to-be usually receive.

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The eve of
delivery day This te e nag e mo the r c o ntinue d s tud ying fo r he r A Le ve l e xaminatio n

T he day bef ore her

expected due date, however, Pauline knew that she had to let the cat out of the bag and break the news to
her parents. Being a minor under 21 years of age then, she needed her parents signature on the hospital
f orms bef ore delivery.

T hat f atef ul night just one day bef ore her expected due date, Pauline arranged to talk to her mother at 8pm
and they agreed to meet at the void deck of her block. With the support of two counsellors f rom Babes, a
teenage pregnancy crisis service, she prepared herself to reveal her secret.

Although Pauline told her mother to meet her alone without her f ather, both parents appeared and spoke to
Pauline that night. T he young girls greatest worry in breaking the news was her parents disappointment as
they have always seen her as a studious and hardworking child.

RELATED: Dealing with teen pregnancy: mum, dadIm pregnant

I need to go to
the hospital
tomorrow
Opening her reveal by
stating that she had to
be at the hospital the
next day, the teen
recounted her entire
story to her bewildered
parents. While they
were f irst shocked at
the news, Paulines
mother and f ather
soon became more
concerned about her
health and the well-
being of the baby
instead. Bre aking the ne ws to he r p are nts jus t o ne d ay b e fo re the e xp e c te d d ue d ate

Crying af ter she f ound

out, Paulines mother was more upset about the lack of nutrition the baby received than disappointed in her
daughter. T he understanding mum then promised her worried teen that she would help to care f or the baby
and consequently made the brave decision to quit her job in order to do so.

T he next day, Pauline was admitted and gave birth af ter 10 long hours without painkillers. T he delivery was
during her June school holidays, aiding in her continued bid to maintain secrecy f rom the school.

RELATED: A unique approach to scaring kids out of teen pregnancy

Non-traditional postnatal practices

Of the f our-week long June holidays, Paulines conf inement took up 3 weeks and she had to ready herself
f or the new school term f ollowing that. She broke traditional rules f or new mothers while bathing during her
conf inement and f eeding her baby f ormula powdered milk f rom birth since she would not be able to
breastf eed once lessons begun again.

RELATED: Conf inement myths busted!

Being as practical as possible, the f amily arranged f or the newborn to sleep with Pauline only on Friday and
Saturday nights. From Mondays to T hursdays, the baby slept with Paulines mother as Pauline herself
stayed up to catch up on her studies and prepare f or the year-end A Level examination.
Diligence that
paid of f
Straddling between
school and care duties
at home, the new
mother remembered
the importance of
investing enough time
in her schoolwork.
While she called home
to check on her baby
during lesson breaks in
school, the girl did not
lose f ocus f rom her
studies.

It all proved to be
worthwhile in the end The 18 ye ar o ld s c o re d 4 d is tinc tio ns in he r A Le ve l e xams in No ve mb e r
when the teen achieved
f our distinctions in her
A Level examinations last year. She is set to study in a local university this year.

A happier ending
A story that began with the prospect of an awry ending saw a turn f or the better with the young girls
persistence and hard work. Ref lecting how this f rightening experience has surprisingly taught her so much,
Pauline states that she now spends more quality time at home and values her f amily more.

Although the road ahead may not promise to be smooth, Pauline is prepared to work hard so that she can
give her parents and child a more comf ortable f uture. She is currently working two jobs while waiting f or the
f irst term of university to begin.

While motherhood was unexpected and initially terrif ying, the teen admits that she has changed f or the
better in the process, becoming more responsible and less self -centred. She also treasures her own
mother more now and is extremely thankf ul f or all the help and support received, explaining how her mum
has become her source of inspiration and motivation to continue working hard in order to give the f amily a
good lif e in the f uture.

Teenage pregnancy
Paulines story reminds us of the continuous support and guidance that teen mums need in their dif f icult
pregnancy journeys. Struggling with unplanned pregnancies is never easy and the courage and willpower
that these of ten single mums have in making the respectable decision to raise their babies should be
af f irmed.

RELATED: Aborting abortion

Watch the video below on teenage pregnancy in Singapore:

RELATED: Denise Keller talks about teen pregnancy