Through Pregnancy

Abstract

Adolescent status afforded little protection from the physical discomforts of pregnancy, particularly morning sickness and tiredness. Although physical indicators were generally accepted with the pragmatism I came to associate with teenagers, many were nonetheless surprised by the intensity of symptoms:

I had it [morning sickness] quite bad […] it was terrible. I’d be going down the street but then I’d have to come back home and lay down. I felt sick all the time. I couldn’t eat anything. I couldn’t bear the smell of food. It was terrible. (Elenor, 18 years old; 23 weeks pregnant. W)

I was just feeling tired and whatever all the time and it just got worse really. I was feeling more and more tired. Eventually I stopped going to work because I couldn’t get up to go to work. (Lowri, 16 years old; three weeks after the stillbirth of her daughter. W)

One sign of pregnancy, which all the teenagers viewed with a mixture of irritation and amusement, was that of food cravings. Jade referred to herself as ‘mad keen on pickled onions’ while Alys ‘couldn’t stop eating liquorice allsorts’.