Senior Midwife sister Lindiwe Shongwe has raised serious concern on the increasing number of teenage mothers, particularly girls as young as 14, giving birth at Mbabane Government Hospital.
She said current hospital statistics show that teenage mothers now account for about 14% of all births at the facility, a figure she described as deeply worrying.
Shongwe revealed that the most recent case involved a 14-year-old who gave birth to twins on Christmas.
While the hospital frequently attends to teenage mothers aged 18, she said the growing number of girls aged between 14 and 15 was alarming.
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She emphasised that children in this age group were still physically and emotionally developing and were not ready for the demands and responsibilities of motherhood.
“These are still children themselves. Their bodies are not fully developed, and pregnancy at such a young age poses serious health risks to both the mother and the baby,” Shongwe said.
She further stated that Mbabane Government Hospital currently leads in the number of births nationwide, recording at least 500 births.
According to Shongwe, the Hhohho region has the highest number of mothers accessing maternity services, followed by the Manzini region.
