"BABY MAMA" The experiences of being a teenage parent

Abstract

This study explores the challenges that young mothers face and the support systems they access along the way. The format that it adopted was to have semi structured interviews with ten young mothers who reside in Southland, New Zealand; focussing on their real-life experiences and providing an insight into how they cope with the daily demands of being a mother. The interviews elicited the following themes; challenges of motherhood, influential support systems, involvement from the child’s father and mental illness in young mothers. The study concludes that gaps exist in developing successful formal support systems for young mothers. However, young mothers are becoming more resilient to the impact of public scrutiny as they strive to become successful parents despite the odds stacked against them.