Topic : Having a Baby Has Changed My Life

I had a very unnormal childhood and by age 8, I was drinking, by age 11, I was drinking heavily, smoking, doing drugs and having sex. This went on EVERY day for 3 years. I was thrown out of every school  in my county for fighting. My life was on a serious downhill slope. What stopped it was getting pregnant at 14. I quit EVERYTHING, with the exception of smoking and being a ho. My love for my daughter turned my life around. After going to 9th grade 4 times, I went on Independent study, caught myself up so that I could graduate, quit drinking, quit doing drugs. I haven't touched pot in 16 years. I do drink now, but not every day like I did. My children are now 11, 13, 15. I am thankful for them every day. Although it was rough having a child at that age, they are my angels. God only knows where I would be without them.

       I had a full term stillbirth with my first child.  This means that I was wheeled into the delivery room knowing that the child was already dead. 

     I had trouble with my second baby, also.  She had a condition called fetal growth retardation.  It means that she ceased developing after the 30 week.  I only cared that she was alive.  I still hold that hospital's record for not asking the gender of the child.  I was lucky, she weighed 5 pounds and 1 ounce.  If she had weighed less, she would have gone to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

     Try and look at it this way, you are never gonna be able to pay off that debt.  You owe that hospital so much money that now they have to be nice to you.

My daughter Emilee is the most beautiful thing i have in my life and to know that i might lose her just breaks my heart ... remember when u have a child no matter how  young or old you are, you remember that that child didn't ask to be brought to the earth and u made that child so take care of that child because some times if u don't u will regret it ....

My daughter Kendall was born July 12th of this year. I've never loved anyone the way I love her.

I'm seventeen years old and a senior in high school. Before my daughter I didn't have my priorities in order. My life was all about partying. I wanted to socialize, break the rules, sneak around, and skip school. I felt that everyone was against me. I believed that my mother was too over protective and that my personal life was my business and nobody elses.

After my daughter my life did an 180. I understand my mother, and I know the extent of my mother's love (it's endless). Everytime I look at my daughter it still amazes me that this is someone I carried for 9 months, 1 week and 1 day. This is someone who was a part of me, who I nurtured, talked to, and felt kick inside me. The first time I heard her heart beat was my undoing. That day was the turning point of my life. I knew that I needed to make something of myself for my daughter.

My mother and I are closer than ever. I've learned how to talk to her and I've learned to open up to her about my personal life. I'm a senior this year on the honor roll for the first time since middle school. I plan on attening the University of Louisville and become a Regstered Nurse. I love my life and I love my daughter. I'm gonna become someone for my daughter.

                                                                                        -AYA<3

I have read everyone's posts on the baord and it is certain that having kids will change your life forever.

When I was born 10 weeks early with my twin, the hospital made an oversight leaving me with cerebral palsy. Through my childhood I battled all the Drs and taught myself to walk. At 14 I was taken out of school for a year and had corrective surgery which broke all of my leg bones, lengthened all my muscles and released all of my tendens.  I had to teach myself to walk all over again.  In that year I learnt to walk and balance again and home schooled completing my school year so that I could go back to school and not have to repeat.

Over the years I have gone on to complete a University Degree and found a good job within the Government helping those who need benefits from the state.

My fiance lived in SC and back in August last year I had the pleasure of telling him that once again I had disproven all of my Drs because....I was pregnant.  When he moved from SC to the UK we got married and he took care of me for the nine months I carried her.  Rowan was born 7lbs 1oz on May 30th 2008 and she has changed our lives in ways I never thought possible.

Not only can I relate to my mom better but I've had to learn a whole set of new tricks for taking care of my daughter. I cannot balance unaided so I have learnt to pick her up with one had and support myself, I get her in and out of the house and into the car using her buggy etc.

All these experiences have taught me that I can achive what ever I set out to do and all of that is because of my miracle daughter