It’s been harder than she thought.
Always sick.
Always tired.
And the stress is overwhelming.
But she’s still excited and she’s still happy.
“I know everything that I am going through and will go through will be worth it,” she says.
Senior Kat Meetze is pregnant.
Her baby girl is due on March 18th.
They’re going to name her Kaylee.
Kaylee Kathryn Raven Williams.
In less than a month, she’s going to be a mom.
Telling everyone was hard.
Her grandparents.
Her friends.
His parents.
But they took it well.
And now everyone is anxious and full of excitement.
They’re all counting down the days just as restlessly as she is.
Everything has changed.
Some good.
Some bad.
She won’t be able do any of the things that she had wanted to and she’s behind in school.
But Kaylee will be here in March, and there’s still so much to do before she gets here.
Meetze and Randy Williams, Kaylee’s father, have been putting away money and fixing her room.
There’s only a little bit of time left.
Williams is in college. “I’m going to be doing something with my life so I can support her and Kaylee,” he says.
He’s a little scared, but he knows everything will be alright.
Between 2004 and 2007 South Carolina’s Teen Pregnancy Rates increased from 33.1 to 36.5 after declining nearly 22 percent from 1997 to 2003. More than 50 percent of these pregnant teenagers choose to become parents while about a third chooses abortion. Two percent choose adoption and nearly 14 percent miscarry.
Only one third of teen moms finish high school and Meetze plans to be part of that one third.
She’s still looking forward to what’s ahead. She’s ready for her future
“I know it isn’t going to be easy and I never really pictured myself ever having kids but I have never been so anxious to do anything in my life until now.” she says.
“I know when Kaylee gets here it won’t be about me or anyone else anymore and all that matters is her having what she needs” Meetze says. While she may be behind in school, she’s learned one of the most important lessons in being a mother.
