Personal Narrative: Being Pregnant
I am five months pregnant and single, I am in a situation that I never thought that I would have to face. As far as life experiences go, I can truly tell you that dealing with pregnancy at eight-teen is truly a life changing and stressful event.
My boyfriend and I were so happy; we were such a “perfect couple.” He was truly a great guy, and I ,a well rounded character. I thought I knew him but fate would prove me wrong. He once told me that we would make it through anything, but I knew this was different he had dreams, and so much potential, this would surely detour him from his goals in life. My partner knew as well as I did that me getting pregnant was an accident but in the end he did not hesitate walking out on me, and there my chaos began.
Stress is plenty and more for me even at this phase in my pregnancy. As a soon to be mother I have to consider what I am going to do about school, work, and life. In four months it is not going to be just me it is going to be my baby and me. The fear that rings in my mind when I think of being called mom is almost deafening. I did not mean to get pregnant but I did take the chance therefore, I must take the responsibility.
The responsibility of being pregnant is surely not as sever as actually having a baby but it is truly a preparation course. I feel almost scared when I go to the doctor. I keep close eyes on my food intake and eating habits, so that I can have enough supplements for both of us. I have to keep my baby safe because she can not do it on her own. I have to prepare myself for life with my baby; it is not only a mind set but also a physical one. I have to be prepared to make sacrifice and present stability in a child’s life even though I am still young. I have to face responsibility and understand it and achieve it. I have to face my fears, and run at them so that I may conquer life to the fullest. I must stand on my own feet and make my own decisions because this is my life; no this is our life.
Being a parent is very demanding and can be hard. The difficulties that come with an unplanned pregnancy in teens can have a profound effect on their life. Their physical, social, mental, and emotional health will all be affected by a sudden change in the course of their life. Teens impacted with an unplanned pregnancy will have to give up many things in order to be a parent. In addition, they will have to take on many more responsibilities that accompany pregnancy and parenthood. All in all, having an unplanned pregnancy and becoming a parent introduce many new responsibilities and difficulties.
Everyday, people are faced with choices. Some of life’s choices are simple, such as deciding what to wear to school or choosing a television station to watch. Other choices, however, are much more serious and have life-altering consequences. Being pregnant has many choices, whether or not to keep the baby. There are many choices such as adoption, or abortion. I decided that I would keep my baby because I knew in my heart that I would regret it in the long run if I didn’t. Throughout my pregnancy I suffered from depression, which is the condition of feeling sad or despondent mentally. My depression was mainly due to the fact that I was sixteen, alone, and scared, I was a waitress at a local restaurant, but that job couldn’t pay for all the financial needs it takes to raise a child. I left my baby’s father when all the arguing and physical abuse began. I couldn’t deal with that and I definitely wasn’t going to raise my child through it. Although I knew deep down that this big decision was for the best, it was still difficult and very painful. Just the thought of raising a child alone was scary. My parents were so disappointed in me they really didn’t have much to say, especially my mother. That made my pregnancy worse because I felt as though I had no one to talk to. I had friends to talk to but most of them didn’t understand what I was going through.
Across family life-cycle literature, the arrival of a first child into the marital structure is considered to be one of the most common and key stages a family will experience during its development. Further, it also possesses the potential to be one of the most stressful examples of change within the marital relationship with the experience of having a baby being ranked at 6th out of 102 stressful life events1.
Pregnancy and the birth of a child throughout many cultures is viewed as a gift, either from God or from any other supernatural figure that they worship. If the pregnancy is terminated for any reason or there are complications it is also viewed in a large group of cultures as a punishment, or because you did not closely follow the rules or regulations of your culture. The process, emotional, and physical stress of bearing a child places mothers and family in a position of opportunity along with placing within them great responsibility. Mothers planning to bear children ideally need to be within the healthy weight range along with being well nourished, but this is not always the case. Many mothers to be are surprised when they realize or are
Pregnancy can be a way of extending yourself. Extending yourself means growing to be the best you can. Pushing yourself to do better is what Nietzsche feels every person should do. This is “the will to power.” A person should always strive to do the best they can, whether it is to make themselves feel better or in competition with someone else. In having a baby and going through pregnancy, a woman is pushing herself to do what she feels is necessary to become a better person.
The author of this book is 21 year old Gaby Rodriguez. She came up with the idea for this project because she was told repeatedly by her brothers and sisters that she would end up getting pregnant as a teen just like all of them. I believe that the purpose of this project and subsequently the book, was to show that you do not have to live your life on the basis of stereotypes. It does not and should not matter what anyone says about you, you are the master of your life and nothing anyone says about you should change what you believe about yourself, or what you want to do with your life. I love this book, and the Lifetime movie was great too. I have known too many young girls who have gotten pregnant, and it does not mean that their life is over. If they believe in themselves and have the help and support of loved ones, there is no reason why they cannot finish school and get a college degree.
Pregnancy can be an exciting and sometimes frightening experience for many women. It was a snowy Sunday afternoon, and I was not feeling very well. I remember all week long, every morning I felt nauseated. I was craving odd foods, and foods I normally would not eat together. I was on the phone with my best friend explaining to her how I was feeling. She said “It sounds like you are pregnant.” That thought never even crossed my mind until that moment. Sure enough she was right, I was pregnant for the first time. I was excited to have a baby and never realized how many emotions or complications can take place during a pregnancy. Everybody that I knew that had babies, had such wonderful experiences. Unfortunately, this happy moment became such a monumental, emotional and stressful time in my life. During my pregnancy, I went through many emotional experiences from almost losing my child, to the uncertainty of a birth defect and early delivery.
Getting pregnant at an early age makes a teen mom go through various difficulties. A lot of tragedies occur with family, friends, and even the father of the baby. 91% of teen moms did not plan to have sex or any sexual contact at all until they drank alcohol (Langham, NP). One thing for sure is that it is not easy to raise your own child when you yourself are still a child. It is very complicated for everyone, but in the end the parents of that child become stronger and have more knowledge and their stories can teach others to avoid making the same mistake.
There are many different areas to consider when preparing for and having a newborn. Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned or the couple is married or not, a newborn baby brings new responsibilities. Having a baby also forces people to make adjustments both financially and within the family. Parents also express concerns and expectations when having a newborn comma especially when it is their first; including what roles each parent and family member should play, how much confidence they have in their parenting skills, and how much financial strain would be placed on the family once the newborn has arrived. The newest issue in today’s society is the fact that many women are delaying childbirth and having more children in their later years of life.
Giving birth to a baby is painful, but taking care of one is also as tough. One does not have to go through physical pain, but the work, safety, care, time and precautions needed to raise a baby are a lot. It is really tiring to take care of a baby at this age or even at any age, but this age is more for focusing on our goals than having kids. Therefore I learned to stay away from all these things and focus on school. Some problems that I came across were not being able to do anything properly. For example not being able to take my shower or not being able to sleep. The baby kept waking up and interrupting my sleep every hour and he needed my care and attention. This is a problem for me because I don’t really like waking up early. Also I could not take a shower as long as I always take; I had to take it really quickly and had to get out when the baby started crying. (This was a soon as I entered the washroom.) Having a baby is a lot of work and a lot of dedication. You need to stay focused and being a single parent without any support is hard. It becomes challenging to take care of a baby day in and day
While many teens that engage in pre-marital sex never become pregnant, some are not as fortunate. Teen pregnancy has become all too common in this day and age. Some teens think it will not happen to them and do not use necessary precautions to protect against it. There are several causes for teen pregnancy and the effects can be life changing.
“ Being a Motherhood is a choice you make every day, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.” MMMMM. Being mother is one of the most blessed and the most challenging job in the world. Giving birth to a new life and making it walk through the new world holding its hands showing a good trail makes a mother victorious in her life. In this modern world women’s attitude against pregnancy and being a mother is changing accordingly. There occurs so many miscarriages and maternal death during the pregnancy. A woman should be physically, and more over mentally set to have a baby in her womb. Considering the biological fitness of health it’s said that safer age to be get pregnant is in between 20 to 29. Early pregnancy in the teenage age of 13 to 20 and the delayed motherhood age after 35 is challenging to the health of mother as well as the birth of the child causing currently social issues India.
I told my boyfriend who was the captain of our football team three weeks after I found out, about the pregnancy. ?What?? He yelled out in surprise, with his six feet four inches, two hundred and ten pounds body shaking from fear. ?We can work through this baby? I told him, trying to soothe his spirit. I remembered Jake and I always being happy, we were the perfect couple. I thought I knew him but with the condition I was in he proved me wrong. ?I love you and with this love we will conquer anything that becomes an obstacle,? he once told me. This situation on the other hand was different. He had dreams, and with so much potential, the last thing Jak...
One main aspect the article talked about was how a teenager will experience intense emotion once she has missed a period or finds out that she is pregnant. She then has to try to figure out a great deal of things such as: how she feels about being pregnant, how she will tell her parents, what she will tell the father, etc. All of this intense emotional upheaval will interfere with her education and her life greatly. The article also talked about pregnant teens dropping out of high school and according to the article, “having a baby is the leading reason why teenage girls drop out of school. Less than 50 percent of all teens that become pregnant will graduate from high school” (Theobald). Another thing the article talked about was that a pregnant teen may also suffer discrimination or ridicule from schoolmates, teachers, and administrators. She could also be discriminated against when looking for a job. She may also be kicked out of or feel unwanted or like an outcast from activities and groups she was apart before she got pregnant. The article said this about the physical effects, “once you are pregnant, there is no easy way out physically” (Theobald). Pregnant teen girls may have a normal, healthy pregnancy if they are healthy before becoming pregnant, go to the doctor for pre-natal
The miracle of life is something most of us will experience in our lifetime. The process before actually giving birth, I think is the hardest part of the entire scenario of child bearing. This amazing experience is something that can make the individuals who are involved in the process change in so many ways. The process of giving birth, for those of you who have not experienced or will never experience it, can be very hard, long and rewarding all at the same time. To give a better description, think of eating a fireball. At first the fireball is tame and calm, but just when you least expect it the fireball becomes hot. Then, when the hot sensation becomes too much, the sweet flavor of the fireball breaks through.