I was 17 and had been with my boyfriend for 1 year. I fell pregnant from only having sex one time without condoms. We had been good up until that one day. When my periods were late, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I came out of the toilet crying. We went to the doctors the next day to confirm my pregnancy. She was fairly harsh in asking what we wanted to do with the baby. I went home that day and told my mum who was hysterical. She told my dad who also reacted badly.

My husband's sister in law had also fallen pregnant the same time as me, so it felt as if she was having a baby "the proper way", being married, and I was just an embarrassment to my family and my boyfriend's. This was five years ago and I still carry with me some of the pain from the reactions of the people that were meant to love both my boyfriend (now husband) and I.

We went on to have our baby and now she's 4 years old and totally worth all of the pain that we went through to have her. I considered abortion while pregnant but I knew deep down I couldn't have lived with myself if I had gone through with it. I'm happy with what I chose to do. My only wish is that we had been more supported throughout that experience.

Editor’s note: Thank you for sharing your story with us…It is hard to cope with the reactions of those who are shocked or have a judgemental attitude. It seems that you still feel some element of shame from your experience and perhaps remember it with pain. However, you made a choice that was positive for you, your boyfriend and your baby. You followed through with what your heart was telling you and maintained your sense of integrity and well-being, rather than gave in to any pressure you might have been under at the time.

It might be that you need to process your experience a little more and you can do this by talking to someone at your nearest centre, on the helpline or using Online Advisor, if you’d like to, so that you can finally find peace in the decision you made.