Posted on 03/06/2006 6:15:08 PM PST by beaversmom
CRADLING the baby she never knew was growing inside her, 13-year-old Charlotte Maddox still cannot believe she is a mum.
For months after sleeping with a boy of 15 she dismissed fleeting pains as a tummy bug and thought she was "a bit podgy" because of overeating. Her parents noticed nothing unusual.
Then two weeks ago, racked in pain, Charlotte went into labour with baby Sophie - and at last the astonishing truth dawned.
She said yesterday: "I was screaming in pain and shouted 'I've got to push something, it's coming!'
"That was the first time I realised I was pregnant and about to become a mum. Suddenly the pain disappeared and I was in total shock.
"The next thing I knew was hearing Sophie scream for the first time. I was so relieved she was safe. Then it suddenly hit me that I was a mum.
My whole life had changed in three hours. I went from feeling a bit poorly and worrying about my homework to holding a newborn baby in my arms and worrying about a young life.
"I couldn't believe it was happening. I kept thinking 'This can't be true, this isn't real'. I can't do long division but I can make a little person. It doesn't seem right at my age."
Her disbelieving mother Samantha, 35 - who arrived on the scene as Sophie writhed in pain - shared the overwhelming shock.
She said: "I lifted her shirt, saw this tiny bump and suddenly realised what was happening. I just shrieked 'Oh, my God!' and called an ambulance. I was stunned. Gobsmacked.
"I keep asking myself how I didn't notice Charlotte was pregnant. But even she didn't know."
Today Charlotte, who conceived while she was temporarily in council care, vows to cherish the child she so obviously loves.
But she has no desire to see Sophie's father.
She said: "I don't want him involved in looking after her. I don't think he even knows about her.
"He wasn't the nicest boy in the world and I think we're both better off without him."
But Charlotte's dad Troy, 45, is furious and considering suing the council.
He said: "She was put into a foster home to keep her safe. It's ended up destroying her life. Why didn't anyone know what was happening? The council has a lot to answer for." Charlotte - 8st and 5ft 6in - lost her virginity on her 13th birthday while staying at the care home because of behavioural problems. She said: "I know I was very young but I didn't feel forced into it.
"It just happened and I felt ready. At the time, I really liked the boy - he made me feel special.
"I don't regret having sex but I do regret what has happened. We should have used protection but I didn't know enough."
Charlotte, who slept with the boy twice, returned home in September last year. But she did not tell her parents - who run stables in Paignton, Devon - of the relationship.
Over the next nine months her weight hardly changed. She said: "I never had morning sickness and Sophie made just a tiny bump. I thought I was a bit podgy and put it down to eating too much.
"When my periods stopped, I thought I was coming down with an illness and waited for them to start again. I guess I hoped the problem would go away if I didn't think about it.
"No one noticed I was pregnant, not my teachers, mum or dad. I was waiting for an adult to tell me what was wrong with me. But no one ever did."
The unsuspecting youngster was playing with her brothers and sisters - Thomas, eight, Phoebe, six, Jacob, five, and Tabitha, three - on February, 19 when she gave birth to 6lbs 10oz Sophie. Suddenly, she was hit by a piercing stomach pain.
Anxious to lie down, she went inside to rest. Her parents were out of the house.
Charlotte said: "My body was hurting all over. I couldn't stand or sit. I just remember feeling really dirty and only wanting a shower. But I couldn't move."
When Samantha and Troy came to check on her minutes later they found her crippled in agony.
Samantha said: "She was lying there in so much pain, complaining about her tummy.
"After it struck me what was happening my instincts took over and I went on autopilot. My only priority was to make sure Charlotte was OK and the baby was going to be all right.
"The ambulance came in about five minutes and paramedics delivered Sophie after three hours.
"As we knew nothing about the pregnancy, we assumed the baby was premature and I thought Charlotte would be taken to intensive care.
"She was kept in hospital overnight before we were told she'd carried Sophie for the whole nine months and both of them were fine."
Dummies, bibs and Babygros now lie scattered across Charlotte's bedroom, replacing the school books and teenage magazines that used to be on the floor. The new mum spends hours cuddling her daughter.
She said: "Sophie's now the most important thing in my life. I regret what's happened and wouldn't do it again.
"But I don't regret having my baby. I'll just love her as much as I can.
"It still hasn't sunk in properly. It's really weird that Sophie's mine, something I created.
"She's got my eyes and nose and it's like seeing a little version of me there.
"I love her more than anything, but it's going to take time to get used to it.
"When Sophie wakes me at night to be fed or have her nappy changed, it sometimes takes me a while to realise it's not all a dream and it really has happened."
Charlotte is too young to receive child support but can rely on the support of her loving parents.
Troy said: "We're fighters. We don't have an easy life, but we're going to work as hard as we can to make sure Sophie gets everything she needs.
"Of course we're worried about Charlotte, but she's holding up well. She's been through so much and has still managed to come out of this smiling.
PEOPLE will judge us, but we don't care. Charlotte didn't get pregnant in our care and we'll stand by her through thick and thin. She's our daughter and we'll love her whatever happens."
Condemning the care home, he added: "Charlotte was taken into care because we couldn't get her to behave. But she was never out having sex while with us. We knew exactly where she was.
"Our daughter lost her innocence while in care. I feel sick to think of her with that boy. But I don't blame him. They were young and didn't know better. The adults should have been protecting them."
The care home has since closed. Torbay Council has promised a full investigation.
A spokesman said: "We're continuing to work closely with the mother and her family to ensure they get all the necessary support."
b.stansfield@mirror.co.uk
I am speechless.....
God almighty,I have a grandaughter almost her age. She is still a little girl.
How in the world can you have a baby in your belly and yet no one notices? Most late-term pregnant women I see look like they swallowed a basketball.
That is because most of them eat alot more and exercise alot less.
The age of consent in Britain is 16. Some boy is going to do some time in the nick for this.
Beats me, she's apparently 112 pounds and didn't gain much weight either. I'm glad they're both physically ok.
Having sex with you? Never mind.
As I said above babies don't weigh that much, but women often eat alot more and exercise alot less after they get preggers.
A couple of things.....one, behavioral problems lead to government lack-of-supervision. It takes a village to have one child conceive another.
Secondly....
Good on for the girl who's first thought was that the baby was safe and is apparently cherishing it. Maybe it won't turn out so bad.
112 pounds and 5'6"
I'm so relieved that ADONAI kept her strong through this surprise pregnancy....and also so glad that she WANTS to keep her baby girl & love her so strongly.
And I'll also be praying that She repents of her past wongdoing & gets her life right with The ONE Who Loves 7 Died for her and her little Sophie.
Wow; good luck to her family.
And, that, ladies and gentleman, is the bare minimum requirement in order to be a mother. Doesn't take much IQ, does it? Now comes the hard part, dear...
It takes a village
Discivilization
Parenting Skills?
Sad, sad.
You jest I hope. This will be a multi-generational disaster for her and the child and its children without a miracle.
Look at the inner cities.
How do you not have a period for 9 months and NOT know you're pregnant?
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