On a warm May morning in 2023, I took a test. Little did I know, this test would change my future forever. This is when I found out that I was pregnant.

I was in complete shock and immediately called my best friend. We shared gasps and blank stares. I could not believe what I had just found out. This is something I have always seen other people experience but never thought I would. I then took the next month to spread this news to all of my family and the rest of my close friends.

Soon after finding out the news, reality kicked in. I began searching for jobs, applying to school, and taking life more seriously overall. I knew what I wanted to achieve before my baby was born, and I was set on achieving these goals. My new responsibilities interfered with my old hobbies and interests, leaving me feeling a little disoriented and lonely. I now had a completely different life than most of my friends. This was a hard adjustment.

Throughout my pregnancy I worked in retail and studied at a community college. Eventually when I was 36 weeks pregnant, I received my CNA 1 certification. This was a huge relief, knowing that I can now support my child and new responsibilities more comfortably. Soon after finishing school, our family and friends threw us an amazing baby shower and showered us with love and presents. At this point it truly hit us that we were about to become parents. We were feeling very nervous but were also anticipating the arrival of our son.

On February ninth at 11:56 p.m., our son was born. Nine pounds, three ounces of pure joy. As excited as I was for his arrival, labor and delivery were both very tough on me. My water broke at approximately six a.m., and after eighteen hours of labor with no food, this became a very intense experience. The following day I had maybe two hours of sleep, extreme pain, and a huge new responsibility laying in my arms. Looking around I didn’t have any friends who had children and no one to seek personal advice from on what I was experiencing for the first time. My emotions were all over the place, which was a difficult state to be in with a newborn to care for. Luckily, I was blessed to have a village of loved ones that stuck by my side and helped me along the way.

My son is now one, and he is such a blessing to our family. Through the hardships of every new challenge and lifestyle change, I can say that I am extremely proud of my accomplishments. I received my Nurse Aide 2 certificate in December of 2024 and now work on an endoscopy unit at Cary WakeMed hospital. My next goal that I am working towards is earning my associate's degree in nursing. I know that young parents have a bad reputation with some people. They don’t see us as the most successful or ambitious, and some would call us “too immature” for the responsibility we take on.  I don’t believe this to be true. Being a young parent is challenging, especially depending on the emotional and financial circumstances you are in. Everyone has their own struggles, but most can rise to the occasion. My mom always tells me, “The world is your canvas and with hard work, you can paint it however you like.” My son is my biggest motivator in my life, and I refuse to give up on my goals and dreams. I live my life as I would want him to live his. I will lead by example by being brave, ambitious, and hard-working. As I have learned throughout this first part of my motherhood journey, nothing will truly be easy, and life is so much more about the journey than the destination.