. Erica (19) .

I had just turned 18 when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. It was the end of August, and I had just started classes at a near by university. I was living in the dorms at the time, and my boyfriend lived 4 hours away in my hometown.

Telling my mom I was pregnant was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. She has so many hopes and dreams me, her only daughter, and I knew that she was going to be so disappointed in me. Telling my boyfriend, Dan, wasn't hard at all. I just came right out and said it over the phone. He said that he'd support me in whatever I decided. Although I admit abortion crossed my mind, I really never had any intention on killing my baby. I am (and always have been) very pro-life, and I had just been given the gift of life, despite the bad timing.

The first trimester was very hard. I was going to school all day long and I was living in a very loud dorm. I had terrible morning sickness and I would vomit about 10 times a day. I would walk across campus, throwing up behind every tree I came to. I was also very tired all the time, and it was hard to sleep in a dorm that seemed to never rest. During this time, my boyfriend would usually talk everyday on the phone, although most of our conversations would end in a big fight.

In December I had an ultrasound that revealed my baby was a boy. This was huge surprise for me since I had been sure all along it was girl. I was happy, though, that I had a little boy.

In January, at the start of my third trimester or so, I moved into my own apartment. I was very lucky that my mom and dad were supporting me so I could do this. Dan would come to visit me often, and I spent all of my spare time fixing up the baby's nursery. Dan came to live with me for good in March.

My third trimester went very slow. The baby was due May 1st, and finals started May 3rd. I was worried about the baby coming early or even on time because I had to finish my classes. I got some dirty looks that semester since I was so big and everyone could tell that I was expecting. I just ignored those looks, because I knew my situation and I knew that I wasn't a bad person for having a baby.

On April 30th, around 11 at night, I felt my very first contraction. It really took me by surprise. Five minutes later I had another one. I knew that it was time, but it didn't feel real. I had been so impatient to have this baby, yet it didn't seem possible that I would be holding him so soon. I called Dan after my second contraction, and he came home from work right away. I was amazed that they were five minutes apart from the get-go. We went to the hospital about an hour later. I was in hard labor for about 19 hours. I finally had my epidural after 17 hours and being stuck at 7 centimeters because my body was so tense, but the epidural made my body relax and allowed it to progress to 10 centimeters. I pushed for about 2 hours, and finally, at 6:05pm, my son was born. The cord was wrapped around his neck and he wasn't breathing (APGAR 1) so he was whisked away to the nursery. I told Dan, who at the time was sobbing from seeing his first son born, to go with the baby. About an hour later, Dan came back, carrying our son, Hunter. He was the most precious baby, weighing in at 6lbs 7oz.

Breastfeeding was hard at first, but we finally got the hang of it, and I'm still breastfeeding and my son is almost nine months old. I plan on nursing until he self weans.

It is hard sometimes being a young parent, but I think it would be hard if I were 30 years old, too. I'm back in school with hopes of graduating soon. I am still with Dan, and we are moving into a brand new condo in a month.

I love my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!