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Schoolgirl mothers-to-be are taking part in a unique research project to monitor their unborn baby's progress via the Web to avoid embarrassing trips to hospital clinics.

The four-year E-mum project has been set up by Oxford University in an effort to improve the health of young pregnant women and their babies.

Figures show that the death rate for the babies of teenage mothers is 60 per cent higher than for babies of older mothers and they are more likely to have low birth weights, childhood accidents and be admitted to hospital.

The online initiative aims to help young mothers-to-be learn about their and their baby's health and monitor its development.

The university has teamed up with Great Yarmouth Young Women's Project, run in Norfolk by the Girls Friendly Society (GFS), and the Sure Start Plus Programme in Salford, Manchester to offer telemedicine, education and advice online to young women between the ages of 14 and 25 who are either pregnant or young mothers.

E-Mum (Educating Mothers to Understand Maternity) began its first pilot last week and it is hoped the scheme will spread throughout the UK.

In England, there are nearly 90,000 conceptions a year to teenagers and around 7,700 to girls under 16 and 2,200 to girls aged 14 or under. Many are teenagers in care.

Research shows that teenage mothers are disproportionately at risk of poor health during their pregnancy because they are more likely to smoke, live in poor housing and suffer emotional problems through family and relationship breakdowns.

They are also much less likely to keep their antenatal appointments at hospital because, said a university spokeswoman, they feel intimidated by antenatal clinic waiting rooms full of older couples eyeing them up disapprovingly. Physically getting to the clinics can also be difficult, she said.

Initially the teenagers taking part in the project will be able to log on to PCs in local centres and explore issues of concern or interest to them via the internet. They can then discuss these issues further with midwives or staff on hand at the centre.

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