Pregnancy is one of the biggest life changes a woman will ever go through. Not only because of the immense physical changes it brings to her body, but because of the social and emotional impact it will have on her life – and other people's. In 1998, there were 113,78 babies born to women aged 20-24 years old. Of these, only 45,513 were married.

Louise Smith was 23 when she became pregnant. Her boyfriend, Tom, was 29.

'Tom and I had been together for about a year when I found out I was pregnant. Having a child wasn't really something we had ever discussed; we were more interested in getting a house. I asked if he wanted me to think about an abortion, but he said "no, no way". We'd been in a steady relationship, so I don't think I would have been able to go through with an abortion. If I'd been single, I wouldn't have thought twice about it – I don't feel I could bring a child up on my own.

'We were used to going out most Friday and Saturday nights. When I found out I was pregnant, I stopped smoking and even kept out of smoky pubs. Tom gave up with me. If I did go out, I usually wanted to be home by 10pm, when everyone else was ready to party.

'In the first three weeks I felt nauseous and quite ill all day, but it wasn't enough to make me give up work. It was more like butterflies – I was never ever actually sick.

'I had no weight gain at first and wore my normal clothes until I was four or five months gone. Then it started with a little bit of fat I noticed coming out from under my clothes. It was a bit like a Michelin tyre around my stomach.