by Nathan Hunt & Madi Denton |
“I had just broken up with my boyfriend, and it had been a while after we had had sex. I went four months without a period, but didn’t think anything of it because I had just gotten off the pill six months before. I realized I was getting them before and I did not understand why it just stopped. It freaked me out, I was in denial and I didn’t really think about it until my friend made me take a pregnancy test. It was the scariest moment of my life. We had to take about four tests because the first one came out unclear. Finally the fourth worked. When it turned out negative, my mind was at ease. It was the scariest moment of my life because I spent the entire night thinking of the “what-if’s,” about what would have happened and about everything that I was so excited for in life that wouldn’t happen now. Not being accepted to school and staying at home, having to tell my ex, having to talk about this,” senior Jennifer* said.
Jennifer’s story represents that of hundreds of girls at LHS who are playing with fire and may end up getting burned. Just imagine waking up one morning craving hot dogs covered in chocolate, or getting up and becoming violently sick all of a sudden. Now imagine you are just 16 or 17 years old and have your whole life ahead of you, only coming to realize that you will not be able to live it to the full potential. All of this because you engaged in unprotected sex, but even using protection is not always 100% effective.
“Teenagers that are pregnant may be too scared to tell a parent or may not have the support from their family, which may lead to them not having early prenatal care. Emotionally, many are scared, lonely and lose friendships when one is stressed; that weakens the body making one more prone to sickness,” Nurse Kathy Ellermier said.
Some students here at Liberty High School shine a light on their life stories of being a teenager and pregnant. Junior Sydney Seurer is in her first trimester.
“I found out I was pregnant on Christmas. My family was shocked at first, obviously. They slowly got used to the idea though,” Seurer said. “I was freaking out, it was really scary. I have wrapped my head around it, finally. I have become kind of excited now.”
Teen pregnancy affects a young adult’s entire life.
“It will be hard; but I’m still going to get everything done. I’m still going to college, and finishing high school,” Seurer said.
A child becoming pregnant adds stress, conflict and rumors to their entire life, including that of their friends and family.
“My family has grown closer together and we are all very excited. My friends were very supportive, they were just like, ‘we are here for you,’ ” Seurer said.
The stress a student’s body takes on while the baby grows, combined with the burden of their peers’ stares as they walk through the halls, can be awful and overwhelming.
“My little boy’s name is Benjamin Alexander. I found out in June that I was pregnant. I didn’t know I was pregnant at first: my boyfriend did. I was telling him all these symptoms I was getting but I thought I was getting my period. He made me take a pregnancy test and it turned out, I was pregnant,” senior Erica Aguirre said. “When it turned out positive I could not believe it. It was surreal; I thought it was a dream. I kept retaking them and they just kept turning up positive. My boyfriend was silent for a while and I was crying. We just sat there in silence. He was more scared than anything; he still is. I think I’m more prepared than scared. Just because I can feel it [our child], I’ve become a mother already. He [the father] is still in the dark because he doesn’t know what to do,” Aguirre said.
Young adults are already dealing with peer pressure in high school about their appearance. Adding a baby on top of that can have a negative effect on their friendships.
“With friends, it is weird because they are excited. When I told them that I was pregnant, they were like, ‘Oh my gosh! You’re going to have a baby!’ But it’s scary, it is hard, it is not all fun and games. They don’t understand,” said Aguirre.
Becoming pregnant can generate talk around the high school as well, which adds even further pressure for teen moms.
“There have been rumors going around that it has been multiple guys’ child. They think that I don’t know who my baby’s father is. At first it was some random guy, then it was my ex-boyfriend, I don’t know, people like to talk a lot. I blow it off, though; people come up to me and ask about it on Facebook or something. I just say, ‘this is none of your business,’ ” Aguirre said.
The stress of having a baby while still in high school affects a lot of aspects in the student’s life, including relationships.
“When I told my mom, she was really shocked. She wasn’t mad, just disappointed. I told her when we were on the couch together looking at cookbooks. I told her and she told me ‘Well I don’t know what to do.’ She was asking me all these questions, like how far along I was. Then my dad came in the room and just sat down on the couch and started watching T.V like nothing was wrong. My mom was like ‘you should go upstairs Erica, to your room.’ I did and she told my dad,” Aguirre said. “My family relationship at first was kind of difficult. I was planning on doing adoption. My mom did not agree with that, so for a while we didn’t talk. Now that I have chosen to keep my son, our relationship has gotten better. She started talking to me again and she has been really helpful. My dad is still kind of silent; he doesn’t really talk much about it. He’s just awkward. I’ll be living with my parents for the next two years to get myself on the right track, my priorities in check. It will also help me get started on a job and save up money to go to school. I’m planning on going to Penn Valley for the next two years.”
Some young adults may think that getting pregnant would not happen to them, but it is a very likely reality if they do not take the proper precautions.
“I know that [most teenage girls] probably will not believe me, but it can happen to anybody. I always told myself it wasn’t going to be me because I grew up around my cousins getting pregnant. I told myself that I wasn’t going to be like them because I saw how hard it was for them. Even if it’s not planned, it can still happen to you if you are not careful. And even when you are careful, it can still happen,” Aguirre said.
Teen moms consider many different options when they discover they are pregnant as well.
“I wouldn’t say I regret having a baby. I wish it didn’t happen, but if I could go and change it I wouldn’t because it’s been a good experience. I think it will help me grow up in the long run. I’ve always been more mature for my age anyway. At first, I didn’t like thinking about it, I didn’t want to give him a name, thinking ‘I can’t do this, I’m still a kid.’ Once you feel him move around, you get this instinct that naturally kicks in and you can’t do that. I can’t think about giving my son away. It is my son, not their son. It will always be my first child and you can’t take that back,” Aguirre said.
Becoming pregnant when a person is in high school can really take a toll on their life as they know it.
“It greatly affects their social life because they’re not living for themselves anymore; they’re living for another human being. And all the decisions they make effect somebody else automatically. Their social life definitely changes, and I don’t think that it’s something that they normally think about until, you know, the baby’s here.” Child Development teacher Beth Giesler said.
A study in 2009 showed that every one in 25 sexually active teens end up pregnant. If you feel like you might fall into this category, or you just need someone to talk too, there are plenty of people here at LHS who are willing to help; counselors, social workers, nurses and principles.
“We have a pregnancy and parenting class at the Academy. Right now, the counselors are always somebody to go to, and really any teacher in this building would help guide them to the right people that would help them deal with their situation and those decisions that they are going to have to make,” Giesler said. “What I try to teach in my class is that it only takes one time, and you’re playing with fate. If you put yourself in that position, you’re giving yourself that option to possibly happen.”
*Some names have been changed to protetct the individuals’ identities.
Get the facts about teen pregnancy and parenting at www.itsyoursexlife.com
If you or somone you know is being abused by a girlfriend, boyfriend, family member or a total stranger please call 911 or log on to www.loveisrespect.org for information and help.
