#16 Becoming a Grandma through Teen Pregnancy - Tanya Shares her story

The Matrescence Podcast

This episode is an absolute spine tingler.

Tanya is a 47 year old middle class professional and single parent. Mum of two boys, Tanya knows first hand how intense the experience of matrescence can be.

Last year Tanya’s matrescence journey took a unique turn when she found out her son, a child himself at just 15, was expecting a baby with his girlfriend or the same age. Whilst many of the teen’s friends had known about the pregnancy for quite some time, Tanya did not receive this news until they were almost 22 weeks pregnant. She had very little time to process this information as just two weeks later the baby was born via a true emergency c-section. Due to the baby’s gestation (just 24 weeks) what ensued was a long NICU stay with many tough conversations and setbacks.

Throughout this episode, Tanya speaks to the push and pull of of attempting to parent her own child, while supporting him to step into the role of a parent himself. All the while having to work within the constraints of multiple systems, being the sole bread winner for her family, parenting her other child and entering into a new love relationship.

Get comfy and make sure you have time to listen to this one uninterrupted. Tanya is an incredible story teller and has an incredible story to tell.

Thanks to Tanya for her vulnerability sharing something that is intensely private but so important, and for opening up the conversation about teen pregnancy without shame or apology.

What a privilege it was to share your story.
Themes: Teen pregnancy, Teen mum, NICU, Emergency C-section, Foster Care, Child Services, Matrescence, Single parent