tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73071015427913723512024-09-24T11:09:04.373-07:00Tamikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619434618014976321noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7307101542791372351.post-49705056835951374802011-06-04T21:19:00.000-07:002011-06-04T21:28:10.858-07:00Making an Adult Decision as a Child: My Teen Pregnancy Story<br /><br />From what I remember, I always wanted a baby. As a young girl, I remember writing down everything that I wanted: crib, dresser, changing table, stroller, car seat, bathtub etc. I even knew what type of bottles my daughter was going to use. I was obsessed with baby products. I believed that I was going to be an awesome mom, and I would give my child all the things that I never had.<br /><br />I believed a baby would have brought happiness to my life, but that was far from the truth. At that time, my current life was far from perfect. I fought with my mother. I felt like my siblings did not understand me. I was angry. I was seeing a therapist for major depression. I starved myself half the time. I did not have a father. I dated older men. In the middle of this drama, I became pregnant. At 16, I had to make a life-changing decision. At the end, I chose to keep my baby because I was not open to abortion nor adoption. After all, this was something that I have wanted since I was 12.<br /><br />I felt like I had everything under control during my pregnancy. By the time I was nine months pregnant, I had everything that I needed for my daughter. However, reality sat it on December 31, 1998: I was 16, pregnant, and alone. While most people brought in the New Year in a happy mood, I was sad. I spent my New Year’s Eve chatting and crying in an AOL chat room. My life was going to change, and I did not know if it was a good or bad thing.<br /><br />My daughter was born on January 5, 1999. I was on cloud 9 for three weeks. Later, I was hospitalized for post-partum depression. During my hospital stay, I decided that I would not be like many of the teens who become parents. I was going to go to college. I was going to be financially responsible for my child. I was going to end the teen pregnancy cycle in my family.<br /><br />My purpose of writing is to let girls know that your life or dreams do not end when you become a teen parent; they only stop when you stop dreaming.Tamikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619434618014976321noreply@blogger.com0