Being bashed on for being 23 and pregnant!! :(

I was 22 when I had twins!! They are now 10 and I couldn't be prouder of them. One of them even has special needs, but he is doing great. I have been unemployed and gone back to school while having two kids. My mother is very supportive, but their dad is not involved in their life at all (and for us it's better that way). I am going to be starting my master's this fall. I will be working part time while I go to school and raise my two boys. You can be a great mother who reaches her goals if you choose to be. Don't let anyone stand in your way. "Accidents" happen, but sometimes they are the greatest thing that ever happened to your life. I don't think I would even be alive today if I hadn't had my boys. They gave me a reality check and made me realize that life is worth living. Be strong. You can do what ever you want!!! Good luck!!!

I got married at 19. Had my first child at 23 and had twins at 25. I am now 32 and have 3 healthy, happy kids age 10 and soon to be 8. My kids were not planned and I dropped out of school and did not work. We were poor because my husband was still in school and his job did not pay very well, but we made it through the tough times and now my husband has finished grad school, has a job as a professor, and I went back to school in 2006, finished my Bachelors degree in 2010 and am about to finish a Masters degree. It is doable. it is not easy, but it can be done.

It is hard without family supporting you, but they will come around, if not, then find a group of friends, other young moms, or someone who will support you and help you out because a support system is essential.

I had my oldest when I was 19. I dropped out of pre-med and his biological father left me when I was four months along to get engaged to his exgirlfriend who had a kid by another guy. At 19 and pregnant, I managed to work at Papa Johns until pre-term labor put me in bed through the last trimester. I had my 2nd child at 21, a year after I got married to a wonderful man who adopted my first child as his own son.
It's not the end of the world and if you are definitely not ready for motherhood, there are actually loving families out there who are waiting for the right person to come along who would consider adoption. My husband and I had a surprise preganancy a year ago, when he was laid off from his job. After 4 months and no signs of work, we made the tough decision to choose adoption for baby #3 and found an amazing family. The father is an ER doctor, mom is a stay-at-home former chld therapist and they had a 4 yr old boy they had adopted from birth previously. It was everything I wanted to give my daughter but couldn't. The adoptive mom had tried several times to have children and gave up after losing one late in the 2nd trimester. What I was able to give them meant the world to them and gave my daughter the life I could not give her. I keep in contact with the adoptive parents and share our lives, pictures and videos often.

I was 19 and going to college when I got pregnant with my first child. I was not married at the time, however, my boyfriend (who later became my husband of now 12 years) was very supportive and we too did not believe abortion was an option. I had about eight months of school left and with about a month of school left was diagnosed with Preeclampsia and put on mostly bed rest with the ability to attend school, no work allowed. Graduated at the end of May and had our healthy daughter on June 29th. As crazy as it all felt at the time, I look back now and think "I'd do it again." Stay strong! No one can steal your dreams....only you can give them up!

You can't worry about what other people are saying and doing right now. It may be hurtful and you may be a little lonely, but this will pass. It can only make you stronger as a person. This is all part of the process of becomming a mother.

I recently had my second child and during my pregnancy I was very stressed out because I was unemployed. During my second month, we had to relocate for my husband's job, so I had to give mine up. I was positive that I would be able to find a job right away ( I'm a nurse). I went on interview after interview and was not hired anywhere. I started showing very quickly and I feel that is the reason that I was not hired.

During this whole process, I was extremely stressed out and it caused a lot of problems with my pregnancy. My baby was also born in distess and not breathing. He is fine now, but it was reallly scary. I'm not telling you this to scar you, I just want you to do well for yourself and your baby.

Please do not stress and stay in school. This is the best thing for yourself and your new little family. Getting a job right now may seem like an important thing, but in the end you will be happy that you finished school. You need to minimize your expenses right now and try to scale back on everything. It's important to have health insurance, so if you havent already, try getting it through your state funded program. Baby's don't actually need that much, so even though it's tempting, try not to spend a whole lot on baby stuff. Also, towards the end of your pregnancy your friends will probably help you out with a shower ( everybody loves babies). If you are set on getting a job and really need the money, my advice to you would be to try to get an early morning paper route. With my first pregnancy, I was still in college and I was able to pay my expenses with my paper route.

I'm sorry that I'm going off on a tangeant, but I can truly understand your situation. Please do not worry or stress, everything will be okay. I think once your family sees what a responsible and loving mother you are, they will come around. Everyone just needs a little time to cope with the change in the times. Please friend me if you need someone to talk to and I hope that my advice is useful to you. Good luck with your pregnancy!

Who says you need to wait until you are in your 30's to have a child? If we listened to our bodies in regard to "breeding" we would be having babies at 13. I had my oldest just a couple of months after turning twenty. It was different with her then with my boys (my fist son was born when she was almost 14 and the second when she was almost 16) Being at both end of the spectrum as far as having children earlier/later in life I can say that each are harder/easier in their own ways. Anyone can be a parent; it takes a lot of work to be a good parent. As far as being young and having a child you have the added benefit of more energy, that and my body sure bounced back easier after having her at twenty then my boys in my mid-thirties. IMHO I do not think that 23 years old is too young to have a baby, but that is just me. I think it depends on your maturity level; some people can be great parents young and others not so much. There is no particular magic age that makes you be a great parent; it is all about how prepared emotionally you are to raise a child, because it will charge your entire life. Nothing I mean nothing is the same after having a child. Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck to you.

I was 24. The father said he didn't want a child, so I moved out on my own. Stayed w/ my mom for a few months, found a job. Oh so sad to leave my young son at 6 weeks old in baby daycare. I was a single mom for a year. My son is 28 now. I had all kinds of advice about what to do, but I am very very strong because I went through it.
Most important: surround yourself with SUPPORT. Start right now calling for help. Whether you go to school or whatever you do, you will make it. But when the baby comes, you need more strength than one person has alone.
I am thinking that family will come around when baby is here.

Don't feel bad for being 23 and pregnant, some times it happens and the important thing is that you are being responsible about it. Personally, I had my child when I was unwed and 20. I'm not going to lie, it was really hard, but I would not change a minute of it (except for her biological father but that's a different story). You can do it, especially if your boyfriend is being supportive. Also, your family and friends will come around, it just might take them a while. My mother, until the day before I gave birth, pleaded with me to give my child up of adoption but I wouldn't. Not 2 months later she came to me crying and telling me how happy she was that I didn't listen to her.

Keep your head up, everything will work out.

Belinda

Well, I didn't have my kids until I was in my 30s. That was by choice, though.

My mom had her first child when she was 22. That was my sister. She had me when she was 24. Both of us came out fine and my mom has a great life. All three of us have professional careers.

My MIL had her first child, my husband, when she was 17. He came out fine and she was a good mother. He went to college and she raised two more kids along with him.

Age has absolutely nothing to do with it. I know teen mothers that are great and older mothers that suck. And vice versa. It's about LOVE. Are you willing to put that parenting duty first? If so, then power to you!

Sorry folks are treating you badly-know that you're doing the right thing having the baby and being responsible. *hugs*

Congrats on the baby to come. I think your parents are having a hard time with it due to their ideas of what they thought your life was going to be. It will be hard and stressfull having a baby before you are done with school but it can be done. You getting thru school and getting a better job is the best thing you can do for your child's life. Your parents will come around once it gets closer for the baby to come, they are grieving the life that they wanted for you. I know you are worried about not having a job but good mothers do what they have to when push comes to shove. You will figure it out just like every other new mother out there. I was 30 when I had my first child and I didn't know what the hell I was doing. It will all come together. Make sure you and your boyfriend talk about everything, the first year of a baby's life is the most stressfull on the parents. If you two can get thru that, you can get thru anything. Good luck and enjoy the journey!!