I had been with my boyfriend for 2 years. Before I turned 16, I found out I was 4 months pregnant. I decided to keep my baby as I didn't agree with abortions. My boyfriend told me he would support me and I had his and my family to help me as well. When my baby turned 4 months old, he was taking into foster care due to his dad being aggressive and violent towards me. We decided to be assessed as a family and get our son back together but my boyfriend was getting drunk all the time and sometimes didn't turn up to contact time with our son.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to do and made my choice that I needed to go it alone. A few weeks after my son had been taken away, I found out I was pregnant again. I thought about an abortion but I was scared of going through with it. I thought about keeping the baby but I didn't know if I would be able to cope with another baby. My mum gave me some excellent advice and support and I’ve decided to ditch my boyfriend who gave me no respect, get my beautiful baby boy back out of foster care and carry on with this pregnancy and do this all alone. I would be much better off on my own. My son deserves more!!

Editor’s note: Thanks for telling us your story…I know it will encourage many others who face these kinds of difficulties. You have made a brave decision for the sake of the well-being of your children, knowing it will cost you much to bring them up alone. I want to encourage you to find support during this uncertain time, maybe through a pregnancy counselling centre near you, or through the helpline or Online Advisor. I know an advisor at a centre would be more than willing to be a friend to you at this time. It’s wonderful you have your mum to advise you and support you too. Our best wishes for the future…