Teen pregnancy is considered a taboo topic by many people for a long time. After a short rise in teen pregnancy rates in the middle of the 2000s, the rate has only continued to decrease.
“The birth rate among 15- to 19-year-olds in 2022 was 13.5 per 1,000 females,” announced the CDC.
There are many reasons that can explain this constant decline. For example, the availability of contraceptives, a greater cultural movement towards understanding safe sex, or abstinence. Though with the overturn of Roe V. Wade in 2022, Georgia has banned abortions after 6 weeks.
Last school year, Nicole Gunter-Jimenez (‘25) realized there was going to be a special surprise coming for her in nine months.
“Teen pregnancy isn’t something you really plan; I know Andrew I didn’t. When I started feeling sick after eating I just thought possibly I had a stomach bug, but it never stopped. I decided to talk to Andrew about it and we took the test not expecting it to come back positive,” said Gunter-Jimenez.
Prior to her pregnancy, there had been no known pregnant students. Thus, a spotlight was drawn onto her situation.
“I didn’t feel comfortable showing myself around school at first because I was so afraid of the looks and judgment I’d receive. I was torn between being happy and scared, especially because seven months into my pregnancy Andrew had left for boot camp,” said Gunter-Jimenez.
Having a group supporting you is also beneficial when going through extreme change. Though the school itself did little to aid her, it was the people within it who offered their support to her the final months of her pregnancy.
“I was struggling on my own, I didn’t know what to do, but I did have a ton of support not just from family and friends but the school community I was in,” said Gunter-Jimenez.
Throughout life, people have to work with what they have and pure optimism is necessary when experiencing change, especially life-altering situations.
“When my daughter was born, I had to let some of the things normal teenagers do go. Our lives have definitely been altered, but I really think that they have changed for the better. Andrew just graduated from the camp and is now in AIT [Advanced Individual Training],” said Gunter-Jimenez, “My day-to-day schedule is now changing a bunch of diapers, feeding her, and naps of course. It’s not just all about the diapers and stuff though, I love having this tiny little human next to me and just thinking, well she’s ours! I am so lucky to be able to call both Gracie and Andrew mine, I love them both. To this day, I think to myself, I wouldn’t have wanted my life to go any other way.”
With any pregnancy comes downsides. Future mothers worry about the health of their babies at every moment. Moreover, their bodies are going through extreme adjustments to be able to regulate and transition back to being without a child.
“The only things that kind of bothered me were definitely postpartum and anxiety. Every time I tried to lie down to go to sleep, I was too anxious that something was going to happen. This undoubtedly affected my sleep. She is a month old and only wakes up once a night. Even though I have to be the one calming her down, sometimes she truly just calms me down. When I’m holding her all the anxiety just flows away. It’s as if Andrew, Gracie and I are in our own little world even if Andrew can’t be here all the time,” said Gunter-Jimenez.
For now, Nicole is staying home full-time with her baby; but, she’ll have her comeback soon. Even with a slight interruption in her academic career, Gunter-Jimenez still places importance on her education.
“When I start school, in November, my sister and mom will be the ones watching her. In the future, I want to apply to Auburn to study marine biology,” said Gunter-Jimenez.
For now, Gunter-Jimenez has a message to any expecting teen mothers.
“I would definitely just say to stay strong and face the challenges head-on. Gather a good support system and do some research on teen pregnancy,” said Gunter-Jimenez, “This advice really helped me.”
