Teen Pregnancy at UHS
When I found out I was pregnant in February, I wasn’t scared. I just accepted it and planned out what I had to do to give myself and my baby the best life possible.
Being pregnant in high school is nothing like it is on television – not everyone is making fun of you and talking about you, you don’t become isolated, the father of the baby doesn’t always walk out on you, and you aren’t always completely alone. Being pregnant, I’ve gotten a lot of new people talking to me, and I have a lot of support both at school and with my family. Many of the teen fathers I’ve known are really involved in their child’s life, and have good relationships with the child’s mothers as well.
Right now, being on bed rest is probably the biggest challenge for me, because I want to get my room ready for my son’s arrival, which will be soon. Also, staying at home all day is boring.
Other than that, being pregnant isn’t the absolute worst thing in the world, even though it is very challenging. The best part is feeling my son move around, seeing him in the ultrasound, and hearing his heartbeat. It’s also amazing when his father, and my mom and siblings talk to him through my belly. It’s the absolute cutest when my four year old brother asks, “Is he out, yet?”
Since I noticed I wasn’t the only pregnant teenager at UHS, I asked two other girls about their experiences being pregnant and in high school from Sophomore Acaisha Washington and another girl who asked to be kept anonymous.
Many people think that if you get pregnant in high school, you’re going to get bullied and made fun of for it, but Washington says that’s not the case. “People who didn’t talk to me before want to be best friends.”
There are definitely some challenges, though they aren’t too tough to deal with. Washington says getting bigger and having to walk around school is hard, but she uses the elevator to help avoid the strain of the stairs. Contractions are also hard to deal with.
The anonymous source says, “I hardly have any clothes to wear at all, and my emotions are harder to handle. I also have some problems with my boyfriend.”
Both agree that it feels weird to be pregnant right now. “At first, it was overwhelming and I was depressed. I wanted to give up, but I’m glad I didn’t because now I’m really happy and excited,” says anonymous.
Washington says, “The difference between when I first found out and now, is how real it feels. It’s amazing to feel hiccups, kicks, and movement. Getting to see him interact during the sonogram makes it all worth it.”
Even though this year there seems to be a huge rise in pregnant girls at UHS than other years, the actual amount of girls nationwide becoming teenagers is declining, according to cbsnews.com. According to this website, there was a 44 percent drop from 1991 to 2010. There were less teenage mothers in 2010 than there were in any year since 1946.
Another myth buster is that none of these new moms plan on dropping out of school – they all plan on graduating, early or on time.
“Being pregnant right now has actually gotten me more focused on school and working towards the future,” says Washington.
Washington’s state of mind is quite nearly the same as my own. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I have to give up on everything and drop out of school. It will definitely be hard to go to school and be a parent, but I’ll have help, and it will get done. I wouldn’t advise anyone to plan to get pregnant at this age, or when they don’t have any of their own resources to care for their child, but unplanned things do happen and the best thing to do is figure out what is best for you and plan around that.
I am now eight months pregnant and on bed rest for the duration of my pregnancy, but my outlook is still the same as it was when I first found out. I’m going to graduate on time and make sure my son has everything he can have. I have a lot of support, and there isn’t any real reason why things won’t turn out positively for us.
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