About to be 21, newly pregnant with first child..anyone else in the same boat?

[Kaitlyn811]

I'm just lookin' for anyone who has common ground with me. I'm nervous and it'd be nice to know I'm not the only nervous one, LOL. 

[CDsMom1031]

I turned 23 three days after I found out I was pregnant... Also my first... And I've only been married two months. Needless to say, between trying to graduate college and work to pay off some debt, I'm freaking out. So no, you're definitely not alone.

[Mountaingirl79]

I was there 11 years ago...with my firstborn.  So I am there in spirit. Happy and Healthy 9 months to you! 

[kawa kamuri]

I was eighteen and pregnant with my first. I feel you. 

[Kaitlyn811]

It's so nerve racking! I'm scared every ache and pain and cramp is something going wrong, I'm scared to even sneeze. LOL. And I'm very unsure of how to tell MY parents. And I'm holding off on saying anything until 3 months but the SO is blabbing!

[cinderella08]

Congrats!!  I was 19 with my first, and 21 with my second!  Young mama's are amazing and the fact that you are on MDC is great - it is an awesome support group!

Oh - I'm near you BTW!  I'm always looking to get together with local mama's!!    If you are ever interested - shoot me an email at [e-mail]

[Kaitlyn811]

You are!? I'm so glad there's a lot of southern members on here!! I've only been here a short while and don't know hardly anyone and now we have a little one on the way I feel like I won't have a lot in common with anyone anymore..lol. 

[BirthIsAwesome]

I got pregnant with my son a week after I turned 20...I've been there. I used to live in Fayetteville, NC, so if you need any info about anything birth-related in the Triangle area, I've got tons of contacts :)

[lactatinggirl]

I was in your exact same situation almost 3 years ago. Turned 21 a month after I found out. Wasn't planned, but was happily accepted. We had been together for 3 years by that point and were planning on getting married, so we did so when I was around 4 months along. Now I have a happy 26 month old DD and my second on the way. I'm 22, will be 23 in a few months.

[Kaitlyn811]

Awe, this gives me hope! SO and I haven't been together long..but obviously our relationship didn't lack..lmbo. I'm so very nervous..just feel like no matter how much reading I do I'm just not prepared for anything. 

Birth - is that so?? Boyfriend is leaving next week to do some work there! Have you heard of Presbyterian hospital, in Matthews? 

[cinderella08]

I've worked with Pres some.  Pres hospital in Matthews has a high cesarean section rate - it is 35%, which is higher than the entire state's average....  I've acted as a doula for 5 women at preg-matt, all 5 delivered Vaginally, but 4 out of 5 were bullied and given the "failure to progress" and "baby is too big" and "you are laboring too long" card pulled on them.  We were able to stand our ground though.....

Have you explored all the options for birth in the area?  There is a local birth center right across the SC state line that is WONDERFUL - waterbith,ect..  Or homebirth!  I know of several Charlotte area MWs.

[ryleeee]

i was pregnant with my first born at 21 :) 
he's 5.5 now and amazing.

just because you are young doesn't mean anything! you can do this. and you are in the right place for support and love!

[4C-mom]

I had my second one month after I turned 21. (first was at 19). then another one, hten my fourth baby 2 days after turning 26. I was not in college when i had the first one, in college for the second one (the one i was 21), and graduated college one month after third one was born.

At the ripe old age of 29, i'm not a young mom anymore, lol. It was good, except for social prejudices against you. If you have the second one while also young, or young -looking, you may have lots of "do they have the same father" comments.....

Happy and Healthy 9 months!!!

[whovian21]

I'm 22 with my first pregnancy.  DH and I have only been married for a month and we conceived on our honeymoon (it was quite the productive one). I'm nervous too about small things such as sneezing, but my dh (who has already gone through a pregnancy) thinks I'm being silly and tries to keep me calm.

Cinderella08, you said you know of a good birth center right across the state line.  I'm in SC, right at the border below Charlotte.  Could you tell me the birth center you're referring to?

[Trinket90]

Well look at all of us! You certainly aren't alone! I turn 21 at the end of next month. I got married August 7 last year (yay for almost a year!) and found out I was pregnant in February. I'm due October 12. It's been a rocky first year for us with job loss and having to move back in with my parents because of money. It's been a super stressful time so I know what you're going through!

I'm pretty educated on pregnancy and childbirth, especially natural birth. I have my mama to thank for that. But without knowing what pregnancy is "supposed" to be like first-hand, I found myself worrying about a lot of little things. It didn't help that I had a lot of bleeding in the first trimester, which had me petrified for weeks that I was going to miscarry. But everything is a-okay so far (30 weeks in). A lot of the things you'll be nervous about will really turn out to be needless concerns. And you can always come on here and ask about them, or just talk to people about it. This is a very supportive and encouraging community.

And PS--I have to admit I was slightly disappointed when I realized I was gonna be pregnant right on past my 21st. No big bar party for me! 

[Trinket90]

Originally Posted by Kaitlyn811 

It's so nerve racking! I'm scared every ache and pain and cramp is something going wrong, I'm scared to even sneeze. LOL. And I'm very unsure of how to tell MY parents. And I'm holding off on saying anything until 3 months but the SO is blabbing!

Also--I didn't believe until we heard his heartbeat at 12 weeks that I was pregnant. I wanted to wait to tell people till I felt more sure (especially since the first test, at 4 weeks, was really faint, and so was the doctor's test at 5 weeks), but DH was SOOOOO excited that he barely agreed to wait until after the doctor appointment!
 

[1love4ever]

I got pregnant with my first a few months after I turned 18, I was with a man who my whole family hated because he was older than me and we hadnt been together that long.  I look back and wonder why I was not scared and all that, but I actually was really confidant in myself and my bodies ability to do what its supposed to do.  I had no clue about anything to do with pregnancy and birth so I dont even know why that is!!  Anyway, I am 20 now and pregnant with #2.  What has really helped me this time is reading Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin.  It is an amazing book and pretty cheap on Amazon, and I'm sure you could find it at the library too.  I highly recommend that book, it will give you confidance and help ease your fears that every little thing is wrong:)  I was more scared this time around than last time til I read that book.

Anyway, other than that, just make sure you are doing your best to take care of yourself by exercizing(prenatal yoga is amazing!  I have Shiva Reas DVD, I also talk 30min walks every night), eating right(lots of protein and veggies, raw milk, whole foods prenatals, organic food, etc.  Taking care of yourself is #1 way to prevent complications!), and just checking out this site and all the great advice and knowledge all these mammas have to share!  Try avoiding chemicals, especially synthetic hormones(BPA, phthalates, parabens, flame retardants) and hormones that have been added to animal products(one reason why I say eat organic!) so that the only hormones in your body are those that your body makes itself, I believe that this is a factor to why some women have problems with their female functions including pregnancy.

Good luck!

[Mom31]

I found out I was pg with DS the day after my 22nd birthday. I was young and knew nothing and scared to death.I did not plan to have children untill much later. I got pg with DD at 24. I am now almost 31 and kids are 5 and 8 and no longer a young mom but you can do it.

Read here and talk to people and build a community of support around you there where you live. We lived in the boonies and I was very isolated except for MDC and MDC was a lifeline to me.

Good luck new mama.

[morganxobrooks]

I'll be 20 when my baby is born! I'm only 5 weeks, and this is my second pregnancy. My first pregnancy ended early ths year and baby didn't make it. I'm married to the love of my life and he already has a little girl from his previous marriage. I feel like I'm more than ready to be a mama! I've always wanted a child and I'm so excited, I could jump out of my skin! I'm very nervous, too though!

You're not the ony one in this boat, girl! You'll be a great Mom!