Yexenia

Yexenia graduated from high school in 2009 at 17 and a half. She was very excited to start attending an amazing University that she had fallen in love with. Her dream was to major in biology and study to be a plastic surgeon or a veterinarian. Ever since she was a little girl she saw herself in the medical field. Her first quarter at college went very well and she passed all of her classes. But a few days after she finished taking her exams, Yexenia began to feel very ill, she started cramping and throwing up. She thought these were signs of beginning her period, so she ignored it. She had a feeling though that that month felt different. She felt like she knew she could be pregnant but she denied it to herself multiple times. Finally though, Yexenia had to know and she went and bought herself two pregnancy tests.

Yexenia took both pregnancy tests while her boyfriend waited outside of the restroom for her. She prayed to God that she wasn't pregnant and even told herself that if she wasn't, she would never have sex again until she was married. Well, the tests were...POSITIVE. She couldn't believe it and felt that all of her dreams were gone and her world was over at just 18 years old...She walked out of the restroom and saw her mom laughing with some friends that she had over. Yexenia felt so guilty that she was going to ruin the dreams that her mother had for her. Her mother always wanted her to get married in a white dress, learn from her mistakes and not be a teen mom like she was.

When Yexenia walked into the room and saw her boyfriend, she burst into tears. Instantly her boyfriend knew and he started shaking. They had no idea what to do. She just kept telling him that her dreams of going to medical school were gone. Her major concern was disappointing her parents, and she knew the moment that she told them they would be devastated. Finally she calmed down and talked about things with her boyfriend, but she still didn't tell her parents. But, the next couple of weeks she was very sad, and also quite sick. She says that though she grew up religious and knew abortion shouldn't even be an option for her, she thought about it. But since then she has always told herself that she would never get an abortion nor would she even think about it again.

Finally Yexenia told her mom and her step-dad that she was pregnant. Her mom cried a lot, but in the end she told Yexenia that she would always be there for her and support her throughout everything. Her step-dad didn't talk to her for weeks. She then had to tell her birth father. He was never really there for her but they did keep in touch, and he always gave her great advice. She was so scared to tell him that she took her mom and her step-dad with her. Her birth father didn't even know that she had a boyfriend, so you can imagine how awkward it was. Not only did Yexenia have to introduce her boyfriend to her birth father, she had to tell him that this boyfriend was the father of his first grandchild! Needless to say, he was shocked and very disappointed. But, Yexenia felt much better  after telling her parents.

At this point Yexenia knew that all she could do was accept things for how they were and move on with her life. Her daughter was born around August of 2010 and is a beautiful, healthy 15 month old now. Her and her boyfriend got married in April of 2011 and as of tomorrow (November 18) they will have been together for 6 years. Thankfully, things are going great for them now: they have their own place, her husband has his associate's degree in criminal justice, and she is currently going to college to become a registered nurse. She wants to start out slow and major as an RN with hopes that one day she will become a doctor.

Yexenia says that as a teen she didn't think about the consequences. She had been having unprotected sex with her boyfriend (now husband) since she was 14. They had only been together for five months and she never really thought that she could get pregnant. But after 4 years of having unprotected sex, she did get pregnant. She wishes that she would have known more about birth control, but she wasn't informed. Yexenia also says that from watching Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant, she has learned so many things about birth control that she wished she would have learned sooner. She doesn't regret her daughter, but she does regret having unprotected sex. She wishes she could have her same daughter but have her be born later. Her advice though is to always be positive and just look to the future.

I wish the best for Yexenia and her family, and I couldn't agree more with her about always looking ahead!
~Izabella

Haley

Haley got pregnant when she was 16 years old and though she had a very supporting boyfriend, her pregnancy was rough. Haley was constantly sick and in & out of the hospital. But on January 7, 2011 her rough pregnancy payed off. She gave birth to a baby girl named Lily who weighed 6 lbs 2 oz.

When Lily was only two months old she had to have heart surgery. It was coarctation of the Aorta repair. The surgery saved her life, but it was not an easy process for her parents. Haley says: "I never imaged that at just 17 I'd be spending two weeks at the PICU..." 

Lily's father has always been very supportive of Haley and Lily, and Haley has never doubted him as a father. He is in the military, and they got married September 9, 2011. Haley plans on getting her GED and going to college for nursing, but between her pregnancy and Lily's heart troubles it has been difficult for her.

Both families stand behind them 110% and Haley knows just how much of a blessing that is. She realizes that she couldn't have gone through any of this without them. Lily is 10 months old now, healthy, and hitting her milestones quite well! Haley says: "Being a teen mom has its hard times, but when I wake up every morning to my baby girl smiling, it makes everything worth it."

I can't imagine how difficult it would be to watch your baby have to go through surgery... Haley and Lily are both strong!
~Izabella

Mariah

The following story was shared with me by a young girl named Mariah. She is in 11th grade now (just like I am) but her story begins when she was in the 7th grade...

Mariah found out that she was pregnant when she was in seventh grade, she first considered abortion considering her family would provide her with no support. She ended up going against her family and keeping her baby. She had her son, Jason when she was in eighth grade and her only support system was her cousin. Mariah raised Jason with the help of her cousin until Jason was about one year old.

Mariah realized that although she was trying VERY hard to raise her son, she was only in middle school and didn't even have the option of getting a job therefore she had little money. The hardest thing that a mother can realize is that raising her child herself is not the best option for her child. Although it was very difficult for Mariah, she and her cousin decided that the best option for Jason would be to have him live with Mariah's cousin for a while. Her cousin was out of school, had a job, a place to live, and could ultimately supply Jason with anything he would ever want or need. Although Mariah was giving up her motherly duties to her cousin, Mariah would still able to see Jason every week.

On Jason's second birthday, Mariah spent the entire day with him  and she felt very confident in her decision. Jason was very happy and living life well. Mariah hopes that one day Jason will understand her decision to give him to her cousin temporarily and will see that she only wanted what was best for HIM in the end.

Mariah is a junior in high school this year and can not wait to graduate next year. As part of the agreement with her cousin, Mariah will be able to get Jason back when she graduates from high school.


I personally wish her the best and respect her decision to do what was best for her son, no matter how hard that decision may have been.
~Izabella