A teenager who thought her bloated belly was due to a gluten intolerance later discovered she was 24 weeks pregnant.
When Ashleigh Hazleton, now 16, became pregnant, she first suspected she might be allergic to gluten.
But after confessing to her mother Haley Tricker, 38, that she had unprotected sex, they discovered the then 14-year-old was actually heavily pregnant.
“When Ashleigh told me when she was 24 weeks pregnant, it was a massive shock,” the mum said.
“She called me downstairs in tears and told me she’d been sexually active.
“My first thought as a mum was ‘did you use protection?’ They hadn’t, so I sent my eldest to the shop to get a pregnancy test and then rest is history.”
After the test returned a positive result, Ashleigh said everything “all came together”.
“She’d actually been ill sometime before this and we didn’t know why,” she explained.
“We thought she may have been allergic to gluten but once we found out it all came together.
“We contacted the GP and they fit us in for a scan straight away.”
Ashleigh said even though suspected she could be pregnant, she was reluctant to tell her mother – instead putting her symptoms down to having a “gluten gut”.
“I was in denial for so long before which is why it took so long to tell mum,” she said.
“I kept thinking I was missing my period because I was stressed. Once I found out I told a family member who encouraged me to tell mum.”
Recalling the moment she discovered the truth, Ashleigh said her “emotions were so high”.
“I was hysterically crying when I found out,” she explained.
“Most of that time feels like an emotional blur because I just had to get myself through it for Lorenzo.
The teenager has now finished school and even took her little one Lorenzo to her school formal to celebrate.
She is now looking to go back to school with the hopes of becoming a firefighter.
“I always knew I was going to get my education so going back to school really wasn’t hard,” she said.
“I had such an amazing support network from friends and teachers alike.
“And mum looked after the baby while I went back to school full time.”
Haley – who is now a grandma at just 38 – revealed some fears she had when she found out her teenager daughter was going to have a baby.
“It was really unexpected and it was a big shock” she said.
“The fact is she’s not the first and definitely won’t be the last to be pregnant at 14 so we just got on and dealt with it.
“I was just here to support her not scream and shout.
“We had a meeting at school straight away and Ashleigh had her heart set on going back finishing off her education so that put my mind at ease.
“I genuinely think she’s coping better than most grown adults. Yes, she was a mum at 14 but the way she has dealt with that is amazing.
“I don’t care what anyone says, I’m so proud of Ashleigh and when I think about it all, how’s she handled herself, I definitely tear up.”
Originally published as 14yo teen’s stomach problems was actually baby, not gluten allergy
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