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October 4, 2006, 11:18 am PDT
Having a Baby Has Changed My Life
WOW! So many other young moms! Having my chilren has given me the life I always wanted. Ever since I was a liitle girl I knew my life would include children at an early age. When I was as young as 5 I would put on my moms bra and put a pillow in my shirt so I looked pregnant and stand in front of the mirror, I would make friends with the "grown-ups" who had new babies and offer my help. When I was 16 I lost my virginity and when I was 17 I became pregnant. My boyfriend (father of my chilren) is the second guy I've slept with. Before I got pregnant I was 103 lbs, living in a grow-op, and I had dropped outta school 2 years before (because of harrassment and fear of society). I was tired everyday, from having no food and smoking pot all day. When I became pregnant my boyfriend and I each moved back with our parents, I was enrolled in a class in a local high school for pregnant and parenting teens, and I began eating very healthy. (I have always had a passion for food) I gained 20 lbs in the first month of my pregnancy. However, I was still not ready for school and dropped out 1 month into the program. So I stayed home and took care of myself and my tummy. When I was 7 months pregnant my boyfriend and I moved into a suite. My baby boy, Aiden was born 11 days late, I was induced. Labour was very short, 2 hrs, but it was one of the worse deliveries. He got stuck in the birth canal and his heart rate was decreasing rapidly. The doctor performed an episiotomy and had to reach in and break Aiden's arm to get him out ( He was already too far through to perform a c-section). When he arrived we all saw his birth defect, he had been born with clubbed feet, his feet resembled golf clubs, the bottoms of feet faced his bum and his toes pointed 90 degrees in, this plus abroken arm. He was taken away and he didn't return to me for 2 hrs. But when he came back he was very healthy and breastfed readily. He weighed in at 9lbs 12 oz. 1 week after his birth we went to an appointment with an orthotist. Without knowing what was going to take place, the cast both his feet into the nuetral position. I was 17 years old with the little baby I've always wanted, and he was in an arm sling with two casted legs (all the way up to his thighs). I cried all the time for the pain and discomfort he must've been in. Nobody seemed to understand why I was upset. Aiden continued to be cast once a week until he was 4 months old and the he was in boots-and-bars all the time. I had to stretch his feet multiple times a day. When he was 7 months old I started the new school year. He loved daycare and I loved school. when he was 13 months old I got pregnant again, although I didn't know until I was 18 weeks pregnant. When we discovered I was pregnant my boyfriend had been trying to quit smoking, and we were issued an eviction notice that day. My boyfriend made me feel like I had to choose between him and the baby. I am not going to kill my child, my son's sibling, it just wasn't an option for me, he knew that. We got past it and started getting really excited about the new baby. She, Kayleigh, was born 22 months after our son, her delivery was also 2 hrs not with a single complication. She arrived 7lbs 15 oz. we were discharged the next day. I soon realized that having 2 was not double the work. I love the age gap between my 2. I returned to school 9 days after Kayleigh was born. At the end of that school year I recieved money for college for being in the top 30% of my grade. Now my children are almost 2 and 4 and I couldn't be happier. Without them I probably wouldn't have gained the courage to go back to school, I wouldn't have gained the confidence I so desperatly needed, and I would't have made the wonderful friends I have today. My children and boyfriend have blessed and enhanced my life more than I can say. I always knew I was born to be a mother. Even though I had them at an early age, I know I take as good care of them as any 30 yr old. I feel so much more pride and confidence than I ever have before.
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