While Carol Barlow's friends were out having fun, the 17-year-old mum was changing nappies.

Now, 20 years on, she's doing it again – only this time for her granddaughter.

As a single mum at the age of 17, Carol Barlow wanted her daughter Hannah to experience all the opportunities she didn't have.

So when Hannah, aged 20, revealed she was pregnant 19 months ago, the 37-year-old's initial reaction was one of shock and anger.

"The anger was because I had talked to her about contraception," says Carol.

Today, Carol lives with Hannah, 10-month Abigail, pictured, and her husband Roy, 44, a self-employed fence erector, at Ubberley Road in Bentilee.

Getting used to being a gran did make her feel old, she admits: "But when she calls me nana it's nice now. It's a warm feeling – though I don't wear slippers and cardigans.

"People mistake Abigail for being my daughter when we go out."

In an ideal world, Carol would have preferred to be an older grandparent, though she appreciates the advantages she has over older nans – in particular, having a more active role in Abigail's physical development.

"I can get on the floor, play roly poly and chuck her up in the air."

Being a young mum, Carol says her relationship with Hannah is more like friends than mother and daughter, and the pair are happy to go out together.

Carol also helps whenever she can to give her daughter a break from her responsibilities, as she believes offering support is all part and parcel of being a good gran.

"I try to give Hannah a night off, so she can go out with friends on a Friday night.

"Whereas before it was me out on a Friday night, now my friends go out and I'm still babysitting."