Anyone who has children will admit that their precious little ones always come first. When it comes down to it, we will go to great lengths to ensure our babies are looked after – often to our own detriment.

 

A new study has well and truly proven this, with research released by Young Women’s Trust UK revealing just how far we are willing to go, in order to make sure that our children are fed.

 

According to the study, 46 percent of mothers aged 25 and under in the UK don’t eat a proper meal – and all to ensure that their children go to bed with full bellies.

 

The concerning statistic emerged from a study carried out across over 300 mums under the age of 25. Throughout, they were asked questions regarding their children, employment support, finances, social networks, and stigmas.

 

Worryingly, 61 percent of those mothers surveyed admitted that they are only just managing financially, while over a quarter said they had used food banks at some stage in the past.

 

 

While this concerning insight into the financial struggles of our young mothers is certainly concerning, there are other areas where we need to pay attention; loneliness and judgement are just two of them.

 

Indeed, one in five of those mothers surveyed revealed that they felt lonely all of the time, while a staggering 68 percent admitted to feeling unwelcome in their local parent and toddler group.

 

Commenting on the findings, Chief Executive of Young Women’s Trust, Dr Carole Easton, highlighted the most worrying aspects of the research.

 

“Young Women’s Trust has found that young mothers are clearly committed to their children’s upbringing but often face huge challenges in their everyday lives. A shocking number are having to skip meals or turn to food banks in order to feed their children," she said.

 

Is this something that you can relate to, mums? What, in your opinion, is the best way to deal with these issues going forward? Be sure to let us know what you think, and how these statistics are playing out in your life.

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