An
unemployed man, 29, has become one of Britain's youngest grandparents
after his daughter gave birth at 14. Shem Davies and his former
girlfriend Kelly John, 30, were overjoyed when their daughter Tia, who
was born when her parents were 15, gave birth to little Gracie earlier
this month.
Tia's boyfriend, Jordan Williams, is 15. Shem said: 'It is an absolute joy to see Gracie thriving. I'm incre
dibly
proud of Tia. She'll be a brilliant mum. At first I wasn't overly
pleased that she was pregnant but I soon got over than. Now it's all
about being positive. I've got to know Jordan and he's shaping up to be a
decent young man,' Shem told The People. However, nurses at the
maternity unit were left embarrassed after they thought the young
grandfather was in fact the teenage father of Gracie. Apparently when he
entered the ward they thought the 29-year-old looked so fresh-faced
they asked him to prove he was over the age of 16. But the arrival of
Gracie wasn't easy as Tia was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, seven weeks
before her due date.
Worried doctors decided their best option
would be to deliver the tot by Caesarean section. The condition, which
often leaves expectant mothers with high blood pressure and protein in
their urine, could lead to life-threatening symptoms for both mother and
baby.
Tia said the contrast between the carefree fun of the
school playground and then the fear of death for her and the baby was
something she would never forget. Happily after a 25 minute operation
Gracie was born but only weighed 2lb and was rushed to the special care
unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, which is close to
the family home. Little Gracie is still being kept in an incubator but
has managed to put on enough weight which means she will be allowed home
in a few weeks.
A week after Gracie was born Tia celebrated
her 15th birthday in the ward surrounded by friends and family. The
teenager, who has been dating Jordan for 18 months and wants to be a
hairdresser, said she didn't plan on celebrating her birthday in
hospital but added that her baby daughter was the best present she could
ask for.
Once mother and daughter have been released from
hospital they will be staying with grandmother Kelly so that Tia can
finish school. Grandad Shem, who has a young son of his own, said he is
keen to get stuck in and help Tia and Jordan settle into life. Jordan,
who sat his final GCSE just weeks before Gracie arrived, said he
understands responsibility. 'I'm captain of the school rugby team and
that's like having 14 kids.'
Despite her young age, mother Tia
says that she would not be happy if newborn Gracie became pregnant at 14
but that she would do as her mum did, which is respect her choice to
have a child. She also paid tribute to her mother, who was 15 when she
was born, saying that she could not have wished for a better parent and
role model adding that they have a very close relationship.
Britain's high teenage pregnancy rate means that many more young people
in this generation are set to become grandparents in their late twenties
and early thirties. The latest figures show in 2009 38,259 girls under
18 became pregnant, but nearly 50 per cent had a termination. The UK
still leads the way when it comes to young mothers, and our rate is
five-times higher than in the Netherlands and twice that of France and
Spain.
