Follow-Up with Teen Parents at SB

Teen pregnancy is an eye opener for any teen and their family. Teen pregnancy, as well as, post-pregnancy can create a lot of stress. Some of the teen mothers of Springbrook High School have been generous enough to share some of their experiences of life after pregnancy to show how they have been coping since the birth of their children.

Senior Anjelica Baskerville went through two pregnancies. During the first pregnancy she had an abortion and during the latter pregnancy sufferred a miscarriage. Baskerville questioned how she would deal with school and her baby.

"I was worried about school and myself, how was I going to stay in school and take care of my baby?" Baskerville said, "I had no family support because I live with my aunt, who didn’t approve [being pregnant], and my parents don’t have custody over me so I was scared I would be placed in foster care in New York where I used to live."

Her pregnancy not only put her in a difficult situation among her family, but she also experienced difficulty in her relationship with the father of her child.

"I wasn’t scared when I told the father of the first child that I was pregnant, but I never told the father of the second child that I was pregnant because I knew he would act like the child wasn’t his," Baskerville said.

Despite these hardships, she was able to look past these hard times with the motivation of her sister who was always there for her, supporting her emotionally and financially. Baskerville does not regret her decision to abort her first baby, instead she sees it as a lesson learned.

Senior Sunasia Bledsoe gave birth to Aveyana Jaziyah Orr on September 23, 2009. In the beginning, Bledsoe tried to hide the fact that she was pregnant, but later she revealed her secret and received little family support. Soon she received the support of her mother who came around and stood by her daughter every step of the way.

"It can be difficult at times when she’s always crying and I’m home alone, but when people are at home I get a break," Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe has to take on new responsibilities now that she has another person to take care of.

"I have to clean bottles, wake up when she gets up, dress her up, change her diapers and entertain her," Bledsoe said.

She now performs duties for the well-being of her child and often faces little or no time for the things she enjoys doing.

"It’s so different now, hearing a big cry and having to get up to stop her from crying. I can’t go out unless I have a baby-sitter, I have no social life, I can’t be on the phone for too long and I don’t have time to do what I want unless she’s sleeping; my schedule revolves around her," Bledsoe said.

Young mothers often face challenges following the birth of their child.

"I have to make sure I’m doing the right things like holding her correctly and keep up with school and my grades. I have a tutor who comes twice a week to help me manage my work, but it’s hard because the baby always wakes up when I’m trying to get my work done," Bledsoe stated.

Despite the challenges of post-pregnancy, motherhood also has its share of rewards.

"Seeing her grow everyday – eyes opening and seeing her smile in her sleep, the small things are rewarding to me," Bledsoe said.

Senior Astrid Borges gave birth to 7 week old, Jaslene Isabella Barnes, on September 8, 2009. While coping with pregnancy may often be difficult for some young teens, Borges found her pregnancy to be quite welcoming.

"For me it was not hard because I had a lot of support from my family and my boyfriend and his family, so I had a lot of help," Borges said. Her social life has also been affected by the birth of her new baby.

"It’s constant work, you don’t have time to do whatever you want and you have to stop whatever you are doing to take care of the baby " Borges said. "I can’t really go chill with my friends and it’s a lot stress managing school and Jaslene and work. I plan on going to college so I know its going to be twice as hard."

Borges also experiences the rewards of being a mother and understands that the gift of life outweighs any of the challenges she faces at the end of the day.

"The best thing is knowing that you have someone to love and who will love you unconditionally" Borges said, "I love her she is my number one priority now. She made me a mature, more responsible person because when you have a baby you have no other choice but to grow up fast. It has inspired me to do better so that I can have a career to support her and so that she’ll have me as a positive role model," Borges said.