labor of love

alright. so let's talk about this; teen pregnancy. teen pregnancy and pregnancy out of matrimony.

we all know someone who has had a baby while still in high school, or have had a baby with a man that is no where to be found now. some get married, some separate, some don't even knew each other beforehand, and some do not want that baby.... that is until they feel it squirming around their stomach for the first time. no, i am not pregnant. but yes, some of my friends have been, and now they have beautiful babies. 

society looks down on so many things, and in no way am i preaching to the world that it's okay to get pregnant at such a young age while you are not married... but hello. i know when i was in high school just balancing my family, dance, friends, school, my social life, aannndd my minor crazy stage was almost too much to handle. by plate wasn't just full, it was overflowing. i had drill team every morning before school at 6:15AM, then i would get ready for school in the locker room, attend school until 2:45, then get ready for dance or drill that would either be at 3:30, ending at 6:00. or beginning at 6:00, sometimes ending at 9:00 or 10. i would somehow work my homework, FHE, dates, social events, mutual, temple trips, family affairs and friends after friends into all of that. i simply didn't have time to get pregnant, but could you imagine being pregnant on top of all of that?? dealing with swollen feet, back aches, not being able to see your own two feet, throwing up day and night, having a constant pressure on your insides from the continually growing baby, doctors appointments, baby showers, and preparing for the baby's arrival. i know there is no way i could handle one second of that in that time of my life.

but what about everything else that could happen? what if the baby isn't 100% healthy? what if the baby daddy leaves? but most of all, what if you lose the baby?

i don't think anyone really every thinks about that when they hear of an accidental pregnancy. people can be so quick to judge. do you honestly think that's what they wanted? to get pregnant at this time in their life?.. should they have been playing with fire? probably not. but we need to remember that we all have a plan, no plan is quite the same, and each plan might not be ideal, but each plan is made for that specific person. whether it be good or bad, God will never give us something we cannot handle.

these women don't just have babies. they have those babies, and they keep on marching. many go to school to gain an education to support their growing baby. all work their hands to the bone to guarantee the child the life that they deserve. and most raise that baby to be something amazing.

so here's to you, all of you young pregnant women. whether your baby daddy is still around or not, do not give up. you're worth is much more precious then anything you'll ever know, and so is the worth of the small child growing in you, or the small child you gave birth to two months ago, or two years ago. give that baby everything it deserves, and do not settle.

from the bottom you can only see up