Hi, i am Kerri. I am 31 years old and live near Atlanta, Georgia. My job is a flight attendant, and I love my job and am very excited for it.
My mom raised me and my sisters on her own when we were kids. Watching him raise us on her own showed me that being strong and independent was possible, and honestly, it planted the idea in my head that I could become a mom by choice one day.
I never imagined myself having a fancy wedding or living in a perfect-looking house. I have always just known I wanted to be a mom. I started babysitting when I was young, and when my youngest sister was born, I fell in love with being a big sister. When my mom had an accident a few months after the baby was born, I helped take care of her. Though I was only 10, I was proud to help. Later, I worked as a nanny and in daycare. Looking after children has always come easily to me.
At 16, I told people that if I was not married by 30, i had have a baby on my own. Everyone laughed, but I meant it. Over the years, I dated, but nothing serious came from it. I even went through a painful, abusive relationship that made me swear off dating for a while.
In 2019, I got pregnant unexpectedly. I was excited, but the father did not want the baby and asked me to have an abortion. I refused. I told him I did not need anything from him, I just wanted to be a mom. Sadly, I miscarried at eight weeks. I was heartbroken. I believed it was all my fault and had a really hard time dealing with it.
I started therapy and took time to heal.
By November 2019, I was sure that becoming a mother was still my dream. I began searching online for a sperm donor I could get to know.
After weeding out some strange offers, I found someone I trusted. But after several tries, I still was not pregnant. I eventually went to a fertility clinic and was told I had “unexplained infertility.” That was tough to hear.
In August 2020, after months of trying and praying, I finally got pregnant through GUI. I was nervous the entire first trimester, but everything went well. My beautiful baby boy was born on May 20, just after my birthday. I had an emergency C-section, but when I saw him for the first time, I said through tears, “i have been waiting for you.” My heartfelt full.
Now, i am 10 weeks into being a single mom, and it is been astonishing, even with the hard days. I love not having to share him with anyone and making decisions that feel right for us. I know challenges will come, but i will remind him every day that he was deeply wanted and loved.
To anyone thinking about becoming a single mom by choice: if your heart is ready, go for it. It is hard, but it is beautiful. And it is absolutely worth it.
