Bolton mum completes two degrees with pregnancies during both

Stacey Withington, 34, admits that school was not for her.

She left Rivington and Blackrod High School in 2004 without any GCSEs above a grade D.

“I wasn’t really into school,” she said.

“I wasn’t naughty I just had no interest.

“Leaving school, I just didn’t have the results that other students got. I walked away thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’.

It was suggested to Stacey that she should go into childcare, as she said many other people in a similar position were encouraged to.

During this time, she discovered a love for psychology.

Stacey at her Masters graduation

Fast forward a few years and Stacey has recently graduated with a distinction from her masters in counselling and positive psychology from the University of Bolton.

She also got her undergraduate degree from Bolton, studying criminological forensic psychology.

Remarkably, during both degrees, Stacey was pregnant.

She now has two children – Jamie, four, and Sophia, eight weeks.

“My body doesn’t like being pregnant anyway,” she said.

“I was unwell throughout both pregnancies. I was in hospital nearly every week.

“Both births were quite traumatic.

"When my son was born he nearly died, and when my daughter was born I nearly died and ended up in intensive care.”

Stacey at her Masters graduation with son Jamie and daughter Sophia

Now Stacey co-owns Beyoutiful Reflections – a private practice who offer therapy sessions.

She wants to use her experience to help reduce the pressure on young people and relieve the stress that they may face while at school.

She said: “We want to reach out to schools so young people understand the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

“The amount of pressure on children to have it all together at 16. I didn’t have it all together at that age – I left school with nothing.

“Don’t pressure yourself. You don’t have to have it all together.

“It’s too much pressure on a young mind.

“We’re trying to change the curriculum - how to get a mortgage. What tax is.

"Learn about mental health. About schizophrenia and depression.

"What they are and that it can happen to anyone. Where it comes from.

“We want to break the stigma around mental health.

"There’s always been a lot of stigma around mental health and it needs to change and I think that it starts with children.”