When a teenager gets pregnant, it is essential that she receives the right sort of advice and support if she is to cope with her situation. In the an article of the Post Teen Week campaign, published by the Notts post, RAWLE TITUS reports on projects that help teenage mums

Nicola goode was too scared to tell her parents that she was pregnant. So she kept unborn Christopher a secret, while avoiding their stares.

She would rush out of the house to face a full day of college and evening work. "I was very frightened. I did not tell anyone for seven months," says Nicola, from Nottingham, now 30. "I used to get up early and leave before mum and dad saw me. I hid my pregnancy by wearing baggy clothes."

Chantelle Williams had no parents to tell she was pregnant at 15. Her mother died while giving birth to her and her father was killed in a car crash when she was just a year old. Instead Chantelle, who grew up with her grandmother until she was 12 and was fostered on three occasions, turned to her best friend Karla Smith.

"I was on my own. I thought what am I going to do? I was scared of what family and friends would say," said Chantelle, now 17 and living in St Ann's.

She decided to keep the baby but not before flirting with the idea of an abortion. "I thought about it but I just could not go ahead," she said. "Maybe because my mum died while giving birth to me."

Chantelle is one of dozens of young women helped by the Old Vicarage - a temporary home for young women aged 16-25 who have a child or are pregnant. As well as practical support and advice, the project - run by the Tuntum Housing Association - offers assistance with training, education and employment.

Similar programmes exist across the county and are seen as crucial in helping teenage mothers cope with the stresses of child-bearing.

"After Chris was born I went back to college to do my A-levels," said Nicola, now the senior project worker at the Old Vicarage.
Much of Nicola's support also came from the parents she was initially reluctant to tell. Their backing helped her to complete her degree in social sciences.

For Chantelle, support from staff at the Old Vicarage, has enabled her to continue her education. Today she was being interviewed by New College Nottingham, to study for a performing arts diploma.

"I just want to get my life sorted out" said Chantelle, who dropped out of secondary school but still got six GCSEs passes while pregnant.

Sex education aims to stop teenagers from getting pregnant and contracting sexually transmitted diseases. But many young women are either not receiving the lessons or are not heeding the warnings of the programme.
"I was aware of it but I just did not take the advice. I did go to the clinic for regular check-ups," said Chantelle.

Nottingham has the 14th highest incidence of teenage pregnancies in the country, with 74 conceptions in every 1,000 girls aged 15-17, almost twice the national average. Parents and young women seeking advice can call the Old Vicarage on 0115 912 1292.