Teen Mom's Stories

My name is Amanda, 21 years old, and I have 3 AMAZING kids! I currently live in North Carolina, and I am a stay at home mom! I’m not going to tell my entire story because that will take a really long time, but I am going to sum it up for you!

This is my story...
I fell in love with my 5-year-old’s father when I was 13. We had the “perfect relationship” except for the fact that my mom didn’t like him or his family and his parents didn’t like me or my family! 

On January 27, 2006, I went in for a typical checkup. I didn't suspect anything, everything seemed normal! That was until they pulled me out of the room and told me I was pregnant! What? How could this happen? We were careful when we had sex! I am only 15. How am I going to tell my mom? What are my options? I can’t have a baby right now, I’m still a “kid”. 

These are all things that were running through my mind at this point. They gave me the option to tell my mom, or they could tell her for me! I was so scared and upset at this point that I asked them to tell her while I wasn't in the room! I didn't know how my mom would react, I had promised her I wasn't having sex! What was she going to think? What would she say or even do? When I walked in my mom was crying hysterically. She asked me what I was going to do and told me I only had two options. That was either give the baby up for adoption or keep it! I decided the only option I had was to keep my baby! I needed to stand up and face my consequences! Later that day my mom and I went to his moms house, and we told her and his sister (at the time she was my best friend). He had just gotten arrested earlier that day, so he didn't find out until three days later!

I was forced out of my school! I went to a charter school in Saint Cloud and was only in 8th grade! Where I was pretty much told that I couldn’t go there anymore because I was a bad example for the school and the other students! In March 2006 I started at COPE! I didn't want to but I did. I met the most AMAZING teachers! I had a great support system! Also, I was able to walk with my 8th grade class in May! But I lost 90% of my friends because I was pregnant. I couldn't go out and party anymore, so nobody wanted to hang out with me! But I gained a lot of new great friends along the way!

On September 11, 2006, at 3:53 pm, I became the mommy to a healthy 6 pounds 14 ounces little girl! I named her Alexis Kay. Her dad and I stayed together off and on until she was 1. He has been in prison since a month after she turned one! She doesn't know him except through letters! His mom has absolutely nothing to do with her. His younger brother and dad live close but don't come to see her, they call, but that's about it!

In February 2008 I ended up not having a place to live since I was kicked out of my moms house at 17. I had to drop out of school. I had no other choice but to ask my dad if she could live with him for a couple of months just until I found somewhere to live. Well the tables turned, and he refused to let me see her. I didn't have my daughter for 2 1/2 years.

In August 2010 I found out I was pregnant again, I was even more scared this time because I didn't have any support at all! I was living from place to place. So I moved back to my moms! We went in October 2010 and got my oldest daughter back finally! I got together with my fiancé in November 2010. Then in December I moved back to Florida! I not only had a child of my own, but I also took on the responsibility of raising my fiancé’s son because his mom left them! So I was raising two kids and pregnant with another!

My pregnancy was really rough with my youngest! I kept going into labor from 29 weeks on. I was living in a homeless shelter. We couldn't find jobs or even babysitters. Finally, on April 12, 2011, I gave birth to an unhealthy 6 pound 13 1/2 ounce baby girl. Her name is Hailey Reign! She was in the NICU for a week. She was born with pneumonia, and fluid in her lungs. Furthermore, she had to be resuscitated 5 different times before she was even an hour old! She was on oxygen, and had tubes down her throat and in her nose for the first 5 days of her life! Finally, she came home on April 19th.

The shelter we lived in paid for us to move to North Carolina to live with his mom! On April 20th 2011 we moved once again! We lived with his parents until February 2012. We now have our own house, and he has a great job! My oldest is 5 now. She starts School in August! My son is 4, and my youngest is 1. I honestly believe I would either be in jail or even worse dead if it weren't for the support I got from COPE! I didn't finish school yet, but I plan to get my GED! Likewise, I am thankful for Ms. Debbie and the rest of the staff at COPE for everything they did for me!