- Saffron Kelly is now 17 years old and has a one and a half year old daughter named Ivy
A teenage nursery worker who fell pregnant at 14 has revealed the downsides of being a teen mum in a TikTok that’s divided opinion.
Saffron Kelly, from Preston, Lancashire got pregnant at 14 with boyfriend Jake Mercer, 17, and gave birth to her daughter Ivy-Mae at the tender age of 15, while doing her GCSEs.
Her story
In a recent clip posted to her 700,000 TikTok followers, the 17-year-old started her video: ‘I got pregnant at 14 and had my baby at 15 – and this is why I’d never recommend being a teen mum’.
She cited loneliness, financial hardship and limited time with her partner as her reasons, but insisted that she has no regrets over having her daughter.
However, some felt that Saffron’s issues aren’t unique and raising a child is just as hard at 30 – while others showered her with support.
Anticipating criticism, she clarified: ‘I just want to start off by saying that I do not regret my daughter. I would not take it back for the world, but it is hard.
Many lonely days and nights
‘It is so lonely. The amount of friends I have grown up with, that I’ve known since I was a toddler that now do not bother with me simply because they cannot be a**** spending time with a baby’.
However the young mother admitted that she understands it to some extent, saying: ‘And I get it. Honestly, I do. but at the end of the day, don’t tell me you’re going to meet me and my baby and then just blank me for a month.
‘It’s frustrating, it’s lonely and there’s very, very, very, very few people that will be there for you and will continue to see you and your baby.’
She explained that this wasn’t as big an issue at the start when her daughter was a newborn but that the visits from friends stopped as soon as she grew a bit.
Money becomes very tight
As is the case for many mothers, money becomes very tight – although fortunately, Saffron managed to bag a full-time role in a nursery and earns some money from TikTok.
‘Money is a struggle. Half of my wage, as soon as I get paid, goes on nursery fees. Half of it, a full half of my wage,’ she said.
‘Bearing in mind, I work 40 hours a week – four weeks a month, and half of that straight away goes on nursery. It is so expensive. And then you’ve got to add up milk, clothes, nappies, wipes, food, etcetera.’
Her final gripe with motherhood was the impact it has on romantic relationships.
She recalled her pregnancy period
‘When I was pregnant, I got told about the sleepless nights, the money, blah, blah, blah. But I never got told about the change, the impact it would have on your relationship,’ she explained.
The young mother stressed that ‘it needed to be talked about more, because your relationship will never be the same, ever’.
‘Me and Jake went away for the first time the other week, and when I came home, I spent that day crying. I was crying because I didn’t realise how much I’d actually missed the old us,’ she said.
‘I do not regret Ivy, but we will never get the time for each other. Obviously we will when we have nights away, but it’s very, very rare. We won’t go back to how we was. And it is so hard and it is not talked about enough.’
Fans react
Fans flooded the comments to share their views and were left divided by Saffron’s views on being a teen mother.
One user said: ‘You did it to yourself’ while another quipped: ‘Darling, I can honestly say these are not just teenage mum problems. I was 34 with my eldest and experience all of this…’
