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Ashlea, now 34, was just 16 when she found out she was three months pregnant with her first child.
"It felt like a slow dream. I couldn't believe it. I was terrified. I had no clue what to expect," she said about the experience.
"I was scared of many things; scared of failing, afraid of childbirth, terrified of my partner leaving. I was a teen girl with very little sense of direction and very confused."
"I wasn't afraid of the reactions [of my parents], but more of the reality of the situation. It was life-changing."
Although she knew her immediate family would be supportive and helpful, she was scared of the judgement she would face from others. And rightly so, because she had some bad experiences.
"I was subjected to many kinds of judgement and attacks from all types of people. Adults did not take kindly to seeing a young girl pregnant," Ashlea said.
Luckily, she had her mom throughout her pregnancy. While she's grateful that she and her children are happy and healthy, she remembers that she had a difficult time, and that there were some choices she wished she hadn't made.
READ: Teen mom gives birth to tot believed to be the UK's smallest premature baby
All parents are scared
"No one knows anything about parenting in the beginning. Parents of all ages are scared and clueless, whether you are 16, 26 or 36," Ashlea says, adding that the parenting journey also came with hard life lessons.
"Real friends are few, especially as a teen mom. Parenting is personal. No matter how much people think, they know more than you."
"I learnt that pregnancy and motherhood are harrowing, and people don't necessarily tell you the nitty gritty.
Ashlea loves her children dearly. She describes them as "pretty awesome" and said she had "grown up with them over the years."
"They have changed, shaped and motivated me in ways that I don't think I would be without this journey of motherhood. I think my becoming a mother at a young age forced me to mature quicker, but I also realised that I could change and do things in a better way. I hope my experience will help my children as they explore these strange times of their own teenage experience."
Ashlea has had a very open and honest relationship with her children. They know that she was a teen mom who let them in on certain things so that they could have a level of empathy and understanding that not many other children might have had.
'My children are exceptional'
She doesn't regret having her children, even at such a young age. "My children are exceptional. I know they wouldn't be the same kids, nor I the same person if it weren't for the timing and experience of it all," she said.
Ashlea advises teen moms to "complete your schooling".
"Create your support system. You are more than capable. Stay strong, stay true to your own heart and what feels right. Parent in the way in which you wish you had been parented."
ALSO READ: Teen mom shares what she has learned from her harrowing life experiences
Doctors treated me badly
"I was 15 years old when I found out I was pregnant," says Karen, 50.
"I didn't realise I was pregnant. I had a boyfriend for around a year, and I had pain in my side and thought it was appendicitis. My boyfriend took me to the local hospital. I did a urine test, they asked me questions about my personal life, and I waited half an hour, and they told me I was pregnant," she said.
Karen added that doctors and nurses at the hospital mistreated her and made her feel like "a slut".
"It wasn't a pleasant experience," she said.
Karen and her boyfriend planned to get engaged when she was 16 and married when she was 18, but when she heard she was pregnant, all of that changed because she was from a very religious family.
Her mother arrived at the hospital as she was leaving, and Karen told her she was pregnant. Her mom replied: "Well, then you're getting married." Her family began planning the wedding that afternoon.
MUST READ: Teenage pregnancy treated as criminal offence in Tanzania
'I was lucky'
Fortunately, Karen wasn't worried about support because her boyfriend, who became her husband, was seven years older, had a stable job and had bought a house.
"Luckily, I wasn't just a single teen mom," she said.
During her pregnancy, Karen attended college and wrote her end-of-year exams. She also planned a wedding and had terrible morning sickness.
"But I learnt that I am strong. Even though I had a lot of stress thinking about my wedding, exams and pregnancy, I still managed to pass."
"I don't advocate teenage pregnancy, especially not that young, but I wouldn't change anything about my personal story."
"Now that my kids are older, I'm grateful I had them young because I had the energy and was quite a hands-on mom. I could run around with them and be a young mom and young granny. And I really enjoy my grandkids," Karen says.
'Being a parent means unconditional love'
Karen's advice for parents of teens who fall pregnant?
"Don't be so hard on them. You were a teenager once too. You know what it's like. It happens. Support them. The deed is done already."
"Try to teach them to wait until they're old enough to have kids, but the deed is done if they're already pregnant. Try and support them in whatever decision they make, whether to keep it or not. It's their body and their choice. Being a parent means unconditional love."
"If you're a teenager who is pregnant, it's not easy being a parent. Find support where you can and lean on your family and friends."
"Take advice where you can, but not everything works for everyone. Take it with a pinch of salt. It doesn't mean you're a failure if it doesn't work. It's just that your circumstances are different, and you need to try something else."
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