Hello everyone,

I came across Stand Up Girl like many of you did, trying to find an answer to this problem that had crept up unexpectedly. I was 5 weeks pregnant when I found out, but now with the help of Stand Up Girl & the wonderful, strong women who have shared their remarkable stories, I am currently 6 months pregnant & expecting my sweet, little (BIG really!) baby boy on December 20th – that’s right, my little Christmas miracle. Sometimes when I feel little [reacted] kicking & swimming around it brings me to tears because I am so proud of him. I am so proud that my son is striving & it makes all the negative comments, un-supportive family members & gossip from other teenage girls seem smaller than this full stop. I don’t care what others think. My partner & I have been engaged since March 10th, when he proposed to me on this 18th birthday, & I believe it also is the night when my son was conceived, so I know he is a baby made from true love. I am so proud of myself for keeping my son & cannot wait to watch him grow in leaps & bounds. I have had a lot of negativity from my stepmother, which is hard. She believes that I am a sl*t for getting pregnant at such a young age & if it was up to her & my father, they would have dragged me by the hair down to the abortion clinic. But I told her that she couldn’t make that decision, & she has no kids of her own. So how would she know how to be a mother? I have a lot of disrespect & hatred for that woman. She has angered me. She says that whenever she sees my tummy, she doesn’t think of him as a miracle, a beautiful gift that I have been lucky enough to receive, but a huge dirty smudge in her perfect, champagne & caviar lifestyle. I feel sorry for this woman.

Anyway, what I would like to say, is thank you to everyone whose stories have put me on the track of being a mother. I cannot wait to meet my son & wish all the girls who are confused, sad, happy, or feeling forced into making a decision, that this is YOUR decision, this is your baby. The people who give you their opinions are not the ones who get up in the middle of the night to feed or change or comfort, their lives go on as normal, but the decision you make to keep your beautiful child will forever change yours. It will enlighten & change you forever.

Being a mother is the most beautiful gift of all, & no one can take that away from you. No one can make you feel as if you can’t cope, because you can.

We are women. It is in our blood to be mothers. It is in our blood to stand up, be strong, & sacrifice everything for the life of our child. We are strong, we are together, we stand up & we are counted.

I love my son, & I know that all the little lives growing inside the bellies of women are all gifts. They are all special little beings that you are nurturing every day. So whether you believe it is not your time & opt for abortion, or you keep that little life growing until 9 months later, you can hold him/her in your arms, it is up to you. It doesn’t change your status. You are not a bad person.  You are not going to hell,  You are not a good person.

You are You. & I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lots of love,

A Stand Up Girl wanting to make a difference.

xx0x