Lived experiences of teenage mothers: a study of Namuwongo Slum, Kampala City

Abstract

This study aimed at describing the lived experiences of teenage mothers living in slums, taking a case of Namuwongo slum, in Kampala city. It identified the different circumstances under which different slum dwelling-teenage mothers get pregnant, determining the physical, social and economic challenges of the teenage mothers living in Namuwongo, and describing their copying mechanisms. The study was conducted in Namuwongo slum for a period of one month. This was a qualitative study that involved 20 participants where by ten of them were being supported by an organization and the other ten were not. The data was collected by in-depth interview guides where intensive individual interviews were carried out. The findings indicate the schooling status of the teenage mothers where all the interviewed teenage mothers were in school and even some of their partners were in school while others had already dropped out of school and looking for money where their sexual encounters were voluntary or forced; having all teenage mothers having voluntary sexual encounters, with an exception of one, whose encounter was forced, their knowledge and use contraceptives, where it was discovered that these teenage mothers did not pay attention to the use of contraceptives such as condoms, and others were deceived by their partners that they would not get pregnant with reliance on the withdraw method, which was defective in the end. They also include the teenage mothers’ first reaction to the discovery of their pregnancy that included abortion, being the first reaction, since many of them were first time mothers. Other teenage mothers had suicidal thoughts since they regarded themselves useless and that they had become disappointments to their parents.To cope with the teenage pregnancy, the mothers used methods such as acceptance, working, skills training, and organizational support among others as ways to cope with their new normal life.