From unplanned and teenage pregnancy to happy, healthy and skilled families.

Other perspectives

Stories to follow....

Bernadette’s Story:

I know for me, I knew that if I left it too long before I got back into study I probably wouldn’t go back. So I decided that I would try to find somewhere where I could do year eleven and twelve with my baby about 5 weeks after his birth. I had only finished year ten, so I needed to find somewhere I could do my final two years. After much persistence and searching I found an adult education centre that had an on- site crèche. I was so happy, I was the youngest in my small group of adult peers (there was even a 70 year old man!) but they were so supportive of me. I remember breastfeeding Damien until he was 9 months old. The crèche would bring him into me and I would feed him and then he would go back to crèche. Some mornings I arrived at school and had literally had no sleep, sometimes my baby would wake up 20 times a night. During these times it was hard, but he support from my family and friends kept me going . When Damien started to sleep better, I got into a better routine. I decided to finish my year 12 over 2 years, this felt doable, and when Damien went to bed in the afternoon and evening, I studied. I remembered trying to make sure I had most weekends off, so I could catch up with friends. I think the hardest part was having so many bags to carry on public transport, my school bag and my baby bag! Even with this, I worked out a good routine in the end. It took two and half years until I finished my year 12, and in the end I only finished one year behind my friends.