Surviving Teenage Motherhood

HELEN STAPLETON is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia. A qualified midwife, she previously worked in both public and private sectors. Her research interests, and publications, focus on motherhood and parenting cultures, sexuality and reproduction, and body image and identity. Helen is a member of various professional organisations and a former board member of the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth, University of Sheffield, UK.

'In this timely and original book, Helen Stapleton provides a compelling account of the lives of teenage mothers. She puts the young women centre stage, drawing on interviews and observations to describe their everyday worlds and relationships with parents, partners and health professionals. Surviving Teenage Motherhood is an engaging book, rich in insight for social scientists and for health care providers.' - Professor Hilary Graham, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK

• Introduction  Teenage Pregnancy, Motherhood and Family Life  Introducing the Teenagers and their Significant Others How it Happened - Pregnancy Realisation and Disclosure  Through Pregnancy  Labour and Birth Narratives  'Chucked in the Deep End': Mothering in the Early Postnatal Period  Mothering in Early Childhood: Everyday Practices and Identity Formation Looking Back, and Looking Forward