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Young, Pregnant and Entering Single Motherhood

Two Women's Stories

By Jessica Williams

ld explain some of the things that had been happening: unexplained weight gain, moodiness and the recent inability to go 20 minutes without needing to use the restroom.

"So I decided to buy a pregnancy test. I was anxious and scared. I went to the closest place with a bathroom – a Taco Bell! I did the test. It was positive. But I decided I needed more proof. I bought a totally different kind of test. I took this one at home. It confirmed my fear that I was, indeed, pregnant.

"I called my counselor, and she helped me realize that I needed to tell the baby's father ASAP. I rushed over to his house and calmly, but sternly, told him, 'You need to come over right now.' He did. Not knowing how else to approach it, I led him into my bedroom. After me stumbling over words, he guessed that I was pregnant. I then showed him the test stick with the results. I was so afraid of how he'd react.

"Considering the situation, he reacted well. We are not going out any longer – we broke up before I found out that I was pregnant, and this was the final time. So we have no real attachment to each other. After a short while, we ruled out abortion as an option and were left with keeping it or putting it up for adoption. He was very much for adoption. I cried so much. I was so depressed.

"I had an appointment at the doctor, and they confirmed my pregnancy with another urine test. I saw the physician's assistant, who did a pelvic exam. She was surprised, as were we, to find out that I was about 8 weeks! I cried a lot mor.

"So far we've got a lot of supportive people in our corner, thank God. It's such a scary time – days move as slowly as years, and everything is so confusing. It's hard because the baby's father is so pro-adoption, and I'm so pro-keeping it. I feel like no one on his side of the fence has any faith in me. They all want me to give away my baby. When you have a little life growing inside you, it is hard to say, 'Sure, I'll just go another seven months growing more and more closely bonded to it and then just give it up!' I'm sorry, but I don't work like that. I think it's a very hard decision, and I have felt very rushed into things. I'm not going to give it up. I've never felt so helpless and alone!

"The baby's father intends to meet legal requirements and visit the child if it is possible (he may not be able to live nearby enough after graduation). It was an extremely scary concept for me, and I was deathly afraid of the future. After considering my options, I decided that the only one I could live with was keeping my baby. Needless to say, this has caused great turmoil in my life ... but the days are getting much happier for me. I'm really getting comfortable with the reality of this situation, and I'm much more confident about the future. I'm actually very happy these days, but it's been quite a journey."

Want to see more?

• Choosing Single Motherhood
• Alone: Facing an Unexpected Pregnancy Without a Partner
• Going It Alone: When You're Pregnant Far From Home
• Talk about it!