I was only sixteen when I sat on my bed crying, holding a positive pregnancy test. I’d spent the last year in a relationship with someone. We were on and off, but I thought I loved him. Life went in a direction I never saw coming.
I had dreams of going to college, having fun with friends, and doing all the things normal teens do. But in that moment, everything changed. I cried for hours. My little sister sat beside me, holding my hand saying, “You’ve became this. You helped raise me. I put my trust in you that was the absolute thing that took me in trust.
When my mom came into the room, I could barely speak. I told her I was pregnant. She looked at me with disappointment. I felt crushed. My stepdad shouted that I couldn’t keep the baby because I was still underage. But I knew I had a choice, and I made it. I chose to keep my baby. During my first scan, I listened to the tiny sound of life inside me. Right then, I felt sure I had chosen the right path.
My parents told me I had to move out if I was keeping the baby. So I did. I moved in with my boyfriend’s family. I was still in high school. People at school whispered things when I passed by. One even told me my child would be healthier off if I had an abortion. I lost many friends. No one required to hang out with a pregnant girl.
I started taking online classes over the summer. I functioned at a fast food place and protected up. On November 13, I gave birth to my offspring, Ella. I was scared, but the nurse remained by my side. She had also remained a teen mom and expressed me, “You ampule do this.” When they located Ella on my torso, I felt whole. I knew then I would be a good mother.
I graduated high school early. I saved $1,000 and took a nursing assistant course. When I turned 18, I got a job at a hospital during the day and served tables in the evenings I told a school counselor I wanted to be a nurse. She warned me it would be hard as a teen mom. But I was determined. I ongoing college and start out Ella’s dad had been duplicitous. I moved out and absorbed on school and work. Some nights I studied until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
Eventually, I landed my dream job in pediatrics. People interrogated my age, not knowing I had a daughter at home too. I started nursing school at 21. My mom wouldn’t help with school costs, but my aunt did. I kept working while most of my classmates quit their jobs. It was hard, but I kept going for Ella.
On September 13, 2019, I progressed with honors in nursing. I cried as I walked the stage. I did it for her. Existence a teen mom didn’t destruction my life. It gave it purpose. I would do it all over for Ella.
