Photo by Emma Lincoln Pattee

Since my last story, when I was three months pregnant, a lot has changed. In the past five months, I’ve had a lot of time to think about the changes in my life. Let’s just start with the physical ones.

My body is going through some huge changes. My belly has grown, and you can see me from a mile away. Clothes are difficult to find. I try to deal with what I have, because what’s the use of buying maternity clothes when I’m not going to be pregnant forever? So, I try wearing things like dresses.

Back pain is extremely difficult. The heavier I get, the more back pain I feel. Sleep is something I can only dream of. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can get a little shut eye here and there, but I’m constantly turning, and I always have to get up to use the bathroom (word to the wise: you hold your pee and it’s going to hurt). And that’s not all; I can’t even stay standing too long without the heels of my feet starting to hurt.

Being pregnant may look cute and easy, but, trust me, there can be a lot of pain involved—especially when you’re young, because your body isn’t fully developed (that’s why a lot of young girls have premature babies).

Now for the mental and emotional changes. I still haven’t spoken to the father of my child, and although it doesn’t hurt me as much as it did in the beginning, it will forever hurt inside. My mother has spoken to him, and they agreed to meet before the baby is born. I won’t go with her, because it has taken me too much time to heal and stop crying over him. I have finally become strong.

I will have to face him later when my child is born, but I’d rather wait until that time. I have a life in my belly, and the last thing I need is to get all stressed out while I’m still pregnant.

I’ve also realized that I was doing a lot of dumb and stupid things in the past. I was hanging out with the wrong kind of people. I was going the wrong way. My life was also centered on the baby’s dad, and I would have kept letting him use me the way he did.

Now I think about school a lot more and what I want to do afterward. My kid has a great impact and influence on whatever I decide to do. As for money, I wasn’t working when I got pregnant, and I’m still not. I get money from my dad for child support, and I give the money to my mom. I’ve also been saving money from the little bit I get as gifts.

I can only hope that my story helps other teens. But many don’t learn from teens like me who’ve experienced unplanned pregnancy. Some will still go have unprotected sex. Some even as young as 13 want to have a child of their own! But remember, you can have better plans for your life.

Abstaining from sex is the best way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but many teens won’t abstain. So, they should at least use some kind of protection and not let anyone take advantage of them.

Just think ahead and be careful in each decision that you make. Every decision has an outcome—it could be bad or good. Just think of what you can accomplish in your life and how far you can go.

Just don’t let it be too late before you make the right choice in your life. If you’re going to have sex, USE PROTECTION!!! Don’t make a mistake that will make you grow up faster than you should have to (PREGNANCY). Don’t make a mistake that can end your life before you’ve got to enjoy it (STDs). Remember one thing if you don’t remember anything else: Life is what you make of it, and your choices will either benefit you or hurt you.