WHEN Haley Tricker’s 14-year-old daughter broke down in tears and told her she was 24 weeks pregnant, it came as a huge shock.

Ashleigh Hazleton, now 16, had been poorly in the months before and Haley had put it down to a suspected gluten allergy.

But when the teenager admitted she’d had sex without protection, Haley realised she was set to become one of Britain’s youngest grans at just 37 years old.

It also means mum-of-eight Haley’s youngest child is now an uncle at the age of seven. 

Having become a parent herself at 18, Haley was confident her own experience meant she’d be able to support Ashleigh.

She is now helping her daughter look after her son while the teen works towards her career goals of becoming a firefighter.

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Within just six weeks of giving birth, Ashleigh was able to sit her GCSEs and even took her son, Lorenzo, to prom.

Haley told The Sun: “I was really shocked to be a gran at that age, but likewise, I don't it's that unusual nowadays.

"Being a young nan is great though, I'm definitely a glam-ma!

"It also means I can keep up with Lorenzo much more which is useful as he's always running around everywhere now.

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"We love going to the park and playing on the swings after we've dropped my seven-year-old off at school."

Haley, who worked as a restaurant manager, took to grandparenting seamlessly and says she’s discovered a deeper level of love since Lorenzo, now one, was born.

Before Ashleigh told her family she was pregnant, she was feeling ill quite regularly and suspected she might be intolerant to something.

Haley recalls: “When Ashleigh told me when she was 24 weeks pregnant it was a massive shock. 

“She called me downstairs in tears and told me she'd been sexually active.

"My first thought as a mum was, ‘Did you use protection?’ They hadn't, so I sent my eldest to the shop to get a pregnancy test and the rest is history.

"She'd actually been ill sometime before this and we didn't know why. We thought she may have been allergic to gluten, but once we found out it all came together. 

“We contacted the GP and they fit us in for a scan straight away."

Unexpected

Haley was supportive from the get-go but admits she had some fears.

She says: “It was really unexpected. The fact is she's not the first and definitely won't be the last to be pregnant at 14 so we just got on and dealt with it.

“I was just here to support her, not scream and shout. 

“We had a meeting at school straight away and Ashleigh had her heart set on going back to finish off her education, so that put my mind at ease.

"She has already received some results and passed with flying colours which is amazing.

I don't care what anyone says, I'm so proud of Ashleigh and when I think about it all, how she’s handled herself, I tear up

“We're a big family already, but when we told the other children they were all so excited. 

“My mum once told me having a grandchild is a different kind of love and I'm so certain of that now.

“I genuinely think she's coping better than most grown adults. 

“Yes she was a mum at 14, but the way she has dealt with that is amazing.

“I don't care what anyone says, I'm so proud of Ashleigh and when I think about it all, how she’s handled herself, I tear up.”

'In denial'

Ashleigh, now 16, admits she was reluctant to tell mum Haley when she found out she was expecting.

"I was hysterically crying when I found out. My emotions were so high,” she says.

“I was in denial for so long, which is why it took so long to tell Mum. 

“I kept thinking I was missing my period because I was stressed. Once I found out I told a family member who encouraged me to tell Mum.

“Most of that time feels like an emotional blur because I just had to get myself through it for Lorenzo.”

Ashleigh says her friends were all very excited and supportive when she told them.

Having now finished school – and taken Lorenzo to prom to celebrate – she is looking to go to college to study public services.

She adds: “I always knew I was going to get my education, so going back to school really wasn't hard. 

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“I had such an amazing support network from friends and teachers – and my mum looked after the baby.

“I said to myself, 'You're a student at school and a mum at home'. That approach helped me get through.”

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