An 11-year-old girl has become Britain's youngest mother after she gave birth earlier this month having fallen pregnant aged just 10 years old, according to reports.
The mother and her baby, that was delivered after more than 30 weeks of pregnancy, are both healthy and being cared for. The girl has not been named.
Her family had no idea she was pregnant, according to The Sun. The newspaper reported that social services and council chiefs are investigating the matter.
An 11-year-old girl has become Britain's youngest mother after she gave birth earlier this month having fallen pregnant aged just 10 years old, according to reports (stock photo)
'It has come as a big shock,' the newspaper quoted a source close to the family as saying. 'She's now being surrounded by expert help. The main thing is that she and the baby are OK.'
'This is the youngest mother I've heard of,' doctor Carol Cooper told The Sun, explaining that the average age a girl begins puberty is 11, although it can be at anytime from 8 to 14.
Cooper added that weight has an effect on many hormones, and that as children are heavier than they used to be, puberty is now happening earlier.
Tressa Middleton who gave birth aged 12 after her brother raped her, was until now Britain's youngest mother
Before the 11-year-old gave birth, Britain's youngest mother was Tressa Middleton, who was just 12 when she had a baby in 2006.
Middleton, who is now in her mid-20s, fell pregnant after she was raped by her brother. Her child was taken into social care, and her brother was jailed.
Doctor Cooper said that 'around one in every 2,500 births' occur to someone who either did not know she is pregnant, or has hidden it from their family and friends.
In 2014, a baby was born to a 12-year-old mother and 13-year-old father, the lowest combined aged of parents in Britain.
In 2017, it was reported that another 11-year-old girl had given birth, but no further details emerged.