Hard road for teen mum

Amber-Leigh Erasmus had Myrah when she was just 17.

Amber-leigh Erasmus had Myrah when she was 17 years old.

Amber-leigh Erasmus became a mother at 17 and while she wouldn't give her daughter up for anything, she said better education could have made a huge difference to her life.

She gave birth to Myrah in 2011 and spoke to the Herald at the time about her belief that giving sex education to young teenagers resulted in too many unplanned pregnancies.

The Hibiscus Coast mum-of-one welcomed the "fantastic" news that teen pregnancies were declining.

"I am so pleased to hear that girls are taking on board the information they are gaining from peers and sex education and being safe," she said.

"I personally had a fair share of sex education, but what I learned the hard way is that as a teenager we all have the idea in our heads that things 'won't happen to us' when in fact it does."

She said sex education needed to be as comprehensive as possible to ensure teenagers understood how serious the consequences could be for them if they were sexually active before they were ready.

"What I think would really benefit teens is actually seeing the aftermath, seeing the struggles that teen parents go through on a daily basis and showing them how hard it is to be a parent at such a young age.

"Being a teen mother is probably going to be on the list of the hardest things I have ever had to do. As well as learning to be a parent at such a young age, I also had to give up a lot of things."