At 17 going on 18, the last thing you expect to happen to you is pregnancy. 

You see it on TV and think, “That’s never gonna be me,” or hear of a peer becoming pregnant and say, “Glad it’s not me.” 

Then it is you. 

You take the test and it’s the only test you’re hoping to fail, except you pass. So, you take another and another and another until you find yourself at the pregnancy center, Amanda’s pregnancy center (PHC of Artesia, NM) and you’re wondering what to do next. 

When I first met with Amanda, I was tired because I hadn’t slept since taking the first pregnancy test. I was scared because I was only 17 and had yet to tell a single soul, anxious because a million thoughts were running through my mind. And Amanda listened to every one of those thoughts and fears and worries. 

I didn’t want a baby; it was about to be my senior year of high school and I wanted to go to college and get started on my life first. Until I realized it wasn’t about just my life anymore. Through the help at the pregnancy center I learned my baby’s life was just as important as mine, and I learned the choice I made for my son was the most important choice I would ever make. 

I was scared, but the center helped me be confidently scared. 

I began attending their parenting classes. Yes, almost all of the women in the class had their husbands sitting next to them and yes, I was the youngest mother in the room. However, with each class I attended, I learned more and more about how I could actually take care of the little baby whose life depended on mine. 

I was scared, but I became excited. They were teaching us everything from parenting to the formation of the baby. I was learning nearly everything about being my baby’s mother and learning everything he was going through inside of me. 

The classes at the pregnancy center made me feel comfortable with having my baby and also helped me feel confident in the choices I made for my baby and my body. From the glucose test to the epidural, everything was my choice. I learned how to change a diaper, how to swaddle my baby, and how to properly breastfeed. I began feeling as if I could actually be a confident mother. 

Then the day came where my precious son was in my arms and it was at that moment that I found the definition and meaning of love. It was then I realized how amazing life was and how amazing it was to give life to him. 

Learning about my body, my child’s body, and the parenting process helped me become confident in being a mother. Then just six weeks after giving birth to my son, I was able to experience the whole process again with the pregnancy of my daughter, except this time I did not hesitate about my choice of choosing life.