A college sophomore nineteen years old and 4 months pregnant! I had done exactly what my parents tried to protect me from. I was so afraid of disappointing my parents, who had been so proud of my success in high school and college. But after the initial shock, they chose to support my decision. My boyfriend, Nolan, was there for me from day one. Even with the support of my parents and Nolan, I was overwhelmed and scared; there was so much to learn, so much to prepare for.

I learned about Pregnancy Care Center through Nolan’s sisters. The Center welcomed us with open arms and positive reinforcement. Mentoring and the many classes helped us learn about nutrition, pregnancy, child safety, and parenting. Relationship classes taught us how to work through issues together and to strengthen our relationship as a couple. Nolan took a Fatherhood class to help him become the kind of father he wanted to be. Attending classes earned us “points” we could exchange for diapers, clothes, blankets and other baby necessities in the Center’s Baby Boutique.

Nolan continued to work while I continued with college. Our relationship grew stronger, and in July we were married. Our son, Beckham, was born in October. From the first day, we used techniques we learned in classes, such as swaddling and infant massage.

Being a parent isn’t always easy and is sometime stressful; but at the same time parenthood is extremely rewarding and worth every sleepless night. The classes, the opportunity to prepare and stock up for Beckham’s arrival have been very valuable to me, my husband and our baby.

Beckham is now three months old. I still remember tears of joy running down my face when he was born; he was our miracle. I know that without Pregnancy Care Center’s help, the past fifteen months would have been very different. God has truly blessed us; and while I know there’s still a lot of work ahead of us, I know our family can do it.