I became pregnant aged 17 – and older critics try to knock my confidence

A teenage mother has spoken out about how older critics have knocked her confidence but she enjoys making ‘interfering busy bodies’ feel guilty for judging her.

Izzy Wendell, 19, from York, shares her life as a young mother with her 34,000 TikTok followers, including giving breastfeeding tips and showing what food she gives her daughter, Matilda.

She became pregnant aged 17 when she was with her boyfriend Lee, now 22, and told The Sun her pregnancy was ‘an accident – but a happy one’.

But Izzy regularly faces criticism when she goes out with her baby and said that an older bus passenger knocked her confidence when they asked if her daughter was her sister. 

‘It starts like that with a lot of pensioners and older people because what starts as an innocent question actually undermines my teen mum confidence,’ she added. 

‘I love making people, especially interfering busy bodies, feel guilty,’ she said, adding she always explains that she is a teen mum.

The young mother explained that she feels the need to stand up for all teen mums who are being judged and said: ‘When you’re sitting on the bus and people start pouring scorn on you it’s even worse.’

Izzy faced an onslaught of criticism after she posted a video on TikTok when she was pregnant in 2021 showing off her bump.

The young mother was studying for her A Levels when she found out she was pregnant and gave birth at 17

But Izzy continued to help young mothers using social media and recently shared a post entitled: ‘Things I wish I knew about labour/pregnancy as a first time 17-year-old mum.’

She has created a community of supportive mothers, with one commenting: ’28 weeks pregnant as a 16-year-old here – not looking forward to labor.’

Izzy was still studying for her A Levels when she found out she was having a baby and gave birth to her daughter in September 2021.

She had morning sickness throughout pregnancy and a ventouse was used when she was giving birth – a vacuum cup which is attached to the baby’s head by suction – because Matilda’s heart rate dropped.

Despite saying she was sometimes stared at and was initially anxious to tell her parents, she now proudly shares content with her young daughter to show her critics that teenager mothers can be happy.