Birth Story: United States
Submitted to Abort73 by a 19-year-old woman on July 31, 2015.
I was 17 when I got pregnant. I was young, immature, and reckless. I let people take advantage of me. However, my foolishness turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. My life then was very different than it is now, and it's hard to believe I am still the same person. Like many teenagers, I gave in to having sex with someone who I thought was a good person but turned out I barely knew. A few months later, I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but I knew I had a life inside me and wanted to be a good mother. Still, I felt that it couldn't be true and that the test was somehow wrong. The ultrasound made it real for me, and actually seeing him for the first time made me feel something I've never truly felt before, love. Even though I had a prominent bump at 3 months, my parents did not find out until I was 20 weeks and it was impossible to hide. I went to night school in addition to regular high school and graduated early. Many people urged me to give up my baby or have an abortion, including my counselor—because my situation was not "ideal.” Thankfully, I have always been stubborn and did not let them influence me. The "father" was not happy, but at his family's insistence, he stayed and we moved in together. Unfortunately, after a few months he changed and showed his true self and became physically abusive and controlling. When my son was born, I cried and cried and could not fathom how I could have been given such a beautiful, perfect baby. The father barely looked at him and later was angry and upset that his son looked nothing like him. My son gave me the strength to leave the abusive relationship, and the father is not in his life anymore and does not want to be—which is a good thing because he was not a good father or a good person. Over the next few months, my son has helped me to become a stronger, more-independent person. He was my inspiration to get into college and keeps inspiring me to finish. He has touched not only my life but my parent’s lives as well. My son is a year and a half now and is the most incredible, amazing person. I thank god every day for him. My mother changed a lot after he was born and let me move back in with her. She is a wonderful grandma. My father has become a father figure to my son and sees him almost every day. My life has changed a lot—many times—but my son has changed it for the better. If you are very young, or have a bad living situation, or are in a bad relationship, please do not let it influence your decision in choosing life for your child. Just because you're situation is not ideal now does not mean it won't be in the future. Choose life for all of your children!
Age: 19
Location: United States
Date: July 31, 2015
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