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pregnant at 19

I am 19 years old and 15 weeks pregnant. I haven’t had morning sickness or mood swings, just tired and excited. This is my first baby; it’s my angel that I'm thinking about everyday that goes by. I am feeling left out cause my boyfriend didn’t want anything to with me as soon as he found out. But my parents are very supportive thank God and they’ll be there for me till I have my baby.

I was really stressed out and moody, I cried a lot and drank a lot the first couple weeks of my pregnancy cause I didn’t know I was pregnant. I was going to get some help until I missed my period, then I took a test at home and was in shock when results turned out positive. I am very calm now and try to eat lots of healthy food, although sometimes I just cant help but eat junk.

Also, twice a week I do a cardio workout and play basketball with my dad and clean the house - that counts as exercise too! So far I have gained 5 pounds, I started off at 105, and my belly is showing a little bit. My mom smiles when she sees my tummy and talks to the baby a lot.

I have a wonderful life but it’s going to be even better when I have my little angel with me.


lilly

Pregnant and Alone

I am 20 years old and 12 weeks pregnant. My child's father and I both wanted a baby. I miscarried our first and now that I am pregnant he doesn't care.

He said he wanted it but I think that it was just a thing where he thought it would keep me around and away from other guys. I still love him but I don't want my baby to have anything to do with him. I'm glad I am one of those people who believe that even though you are pregnant and the father wants to be there, that you make sure you can do it by yourself cause you never know when they will bail out.

Dana

Against All Odds

I became pregnant at age 14 during my freshman year of high school. I come from a family that is very financially strained, but supportive. Unfortunately my parents did not talk with their children about sexuality issues. I had my daughter during my sophomore year of high school. I was not the "type" of girl this would happen to. Everyone was shocked because I was a quiet, hard working, straight-A student.

My teachers, friends, and family were all supportive. I finished high school ranked 3rd in my class and went on to college. I took my daughter with me and cared for her while taking full time schedules of 18-20 hours most semesters to get done in 4 years. I made the deans honor roll most semesters and graduated with honors on time with a bachelors of science in biology and a minor in chemistry, having completed my pre-med requirements. I went on to medical school and graduated in the top 25% of my class then proceeded to residency (was resident of the year as a senior resident) and am now a board certified Family Medicine doctor.

My daughter, now 16 years old, is a nearly straight-A sophomore in high school. I say nearly because she is taking college level classes to get ahead in preparation for pursuing a degree in architectural engineering. She has B's in some of those classes. I guess I just needed people to hear that not all pregnant teens fail.

I have gotten no government assistance outside of my medical care during pregnancy and grants and loans for college. I am very proud of my daughter and am not sure where I would be had I not had her to worry about. She is the one who still drives me forward on the bad days. I have no regrets. I don't want anyone else to experience this; it's a tough way to grow up - fast. I do think that the girls that this unfortunately happens to need to hear cases like mine, although rare, instead of being reminded of the overwhelming majority of failures.

Although they had no means to put me through school, my parents told me to hold my head high and not make a bad situation worse. They said I wasn't the first girl this had happened to and I wouldn't be the last, so I better do the best I could. They still push me forward when I'm overwhelmed.

Tomorrow I speak to a group of high school aged girls about this very subject. Some are already pregnant or mothers. I am not proud that I was a teen mom, but I am proud of where I am today and of the daughter I have raised.


Jackie

the beginning of a new life

I’m a single young adult about to have a love of my life for the first time and I’m really scared because I don't know what to do. I am so emotional. All I am thinking about is why my baby’s father is acting so stupid.

He is listening to what others say and it's making it hard for me to deal with. Why do some baby’s mothers go though so much so fast? I’m 5 months and I did not make this angel by myself. I did have help. I just wish fathers would man up and take care of the life they helped to make.

I’m not saying all babies’ fathers are bad dads, just some - or maybe I’m tripping. We could do fine by ourselves!!!!!


miracle

Single and Pregnant

I am single, 24 and 10 week pregnant. It was a one-night thing with someone that turned out 5 weeks later to be a baby on the way. I debated telling the father because I knew deep down that he would not want to be involved, and really, I just didn't want him to be involved because of his situation and the fact that it wasn't love that conceived this baby. But I told him after I found out for sure that I was definitely pregnant (I went thru a minute of denial) and told him that he had the choice to be involved or not and how much.

His first words of course were that he wanted to know who the father was. Of course I told him it was him. Then his next words were that we needed to decide whether to go on with the pregnancy or not, to which I very firmly let him know was not an option of his. I was not having an abortion and that was the end of that. Well he didn't stop there. Next he wanted to know if I knew anyone who was adopted. Seeing that he really didn't want anything to do with this pregnancy I just laid down everything.

I told him that I would be fine if he didn't want any involvement, but I felt like I should tell him as a courtesy. I didn't expect and wasn't asking for money of any sort. And I told him that he needed to think about whether or not he wanted to be involved or not and then let me know. We parted ways and I haven't heard from him since. It's only been 5 weeks now but that's long enough for me to decide that even if he does come around later and decide he wants to be involved, that he's waited long enough to decide and I've changed my mind about not caring it he wants to be involved.

He will not be allowed unless he fights for it. Having two kids already from two other women, I don't think he will. My family is very supportive of me and that is all I could ask for. It is going to be very hard I know, but I am willing to make it work and I have a lot of help and support so I know that I will be fine in the end.

That's my story so far.


Kendra