A WOMAN, who got pregnant at 16, hid her pregnancy from friends and family for eight months and was told by doctors she’d never make anything of her life.
Asahela Rose, now 31, from London explained that although she was pregnant at such a young age, she was more worried about telling her family than how she’d provide for her child.
The young mum felt judged, even by medical professionals and was concerned by the response she would get.
She said: “I found out I was pregnant at my daughter’s dad’s house.
“I was never worried about how I was going to have enough money to raise her, I’d watched my mum raise a family alone and knew I could do the same.
“The only thing I was worried about was telling my mum.
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“I broke the news to her two days later by the front door, ready to run. I was making her a grandma at 38.
“She was shocked and disappointed, but really supportive of me the whole way”.
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Asahela began experiencing judgement from people around her, which made her decide to keep the news from many members of her family until she was eight months pregnant.
She said: “I thought doctors would be there to support me and have my back but I had a lot of them asking me how I expect to make anything of my life and telling me they didn’t expect the father of my child to be around very long.
“I felt very alone and decided only to tell my mum I was pregnant at first.
“I told my dad six months into the pregnancy. He was disappointed but handled it surprisingly well.
“The rest of my family found out when I was eight months along.
“No one’s ever happy for someone when they’re pregnant at a younger age”.
Asahela explained that the first year of raising her daughter Shamaya, now 14, was one the toughest challenges she’s faced.
She said: “By the time my daughter was four weeks old I went back to college and was so exhausted.
“I felt spread thin, especially in that first year where I’d be dropping her off at nursery, staying at college all day, picking her up, going home, cooking dinner, breastfeeding… I had to grow up really quickly.”
Despite the difficult early years, Asahela is now a mum-of-three and would advise any other young mums not to be discouraged by judgement they may face.
She said: “It’s a strange thing that women who are in need of support instead receive such harsh judgement – even from other mums who know what it’s like.
“Even if it feels impossible as a single mum, know that you can get through the other side.”
Asahela now runs her own business, Rosebuds Aroma, alongside her daughter Shamaya.
She explained that she believes it’s crucial to instil business skills and work ethic in her from an early age and couldn’t be prouder of how Shamaya has taken to the business.
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She said: “I’m not going to be around forever, and I want her to know now that she can be successful if she puts her mind to things.
“One of my proudest moments since setting up Rosebuds Aroma was seeing her on launch day pitching our products to potential customers.”
