Being A Mum

I'm a Mum

By: Young Person

My story about being a Mum...

I remember looking at the pregnancy test sitting on the doctor's desk. I watched as two lines appeared and I said to the doctor "that's not good is it?" I don't remember what he said. All I could think of is that I was pregnant. The doctor went through my options and told me to come back in a week with my decision. I walked out of the surgery and burst into tears. I didn't know what to do except to call my mum. She was great and drove two hours to pick me up and take me back to her house.

I was faced with a tough decision to make. I live by myself, my boyfriend is 400km away and I study full time at uni. I knew that I would keep my baby almost instantly, but for others the decision isn't as easy to make. I had the support of my family and my boyfriend. I had to stay at uni because I knew if I left then it was unlikely that I would go back. That wasn't what I wanted for myself.

I went back to the doctor and told him I was keeping my baby. A couple of days later I saw the first picture of my baby. A tiny heart beating on the monitor. I knew then this was going to be an amazing experience. I kept studying right up to the week my son was born. It wasn't easy. Being pregnant makes you tired and I was looking pretty funny in my lab coat during pracs. My lecturers were really great, they gave me extra time for assignments if I needed it and allowed me to defer my exams, as they were one month after the birth of my son. In the end I only took two weeks off after the birth of my son before I went back to uni. This wouldn't have been possible if my boyfriend didn't take two months off work to stay with me and help me adjust to my new life.

Since the birth of my son, I have had to re-arrange my lifestyle and my priorities. Going out of the house is not a spontaneous event any more. I have to make sure that I have all the other accessories a baby needs. My social life is also limited. My son is definitely my first priority and housework is definitely my last. In the middle somewhere is uni, looking after myself, and anything else. I have learnt many new skills. How to change a dirty nappy in the dark so as to not wake up the baby too much and you would be amazed at the number of things you learn to do with one hand while the baby is in the other. My time management skills are also greatly improved. The other thing I needed to organise was money. Babies are very expensive to set up for, to keep clothed and feed (especially if bottle-fed) and I also need to put my son in childcare a couple of days a week so that I can go to uni.

Being a mum isn't all rosy. It has caused hassles with my boyfriend as we have different ideas on how to raise our son. I think my boyfriend is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to me having another 'man' in my life who demands most of my time and attention. I have had to ask for a lot of help from my mum and from my teachers at uni. I think the main thing to remember is to be flexible and definitely don't be afraid of accepting help when it is offered.
But even with all the hassles and all the sleepless nights, the best thing about being a mum is when my son looks at me and smiles and I know that he loves me unconditionally. I want my son to know how much he has changed my life and that it is all for the better and I love him to pieces. I knew being a mum wouldn't be easy but you get rewarded with every little smile on your baby's face.

For help with a crisis, a concern, or a problem in your life - or just because you need someone to listen; checkout www.reachout.com.au Online service for Youth.