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My name is Lauren and I am 17 years old. I remember everything that happened the day I found out I was pregnant. I was over at my boyfriend Alan's house, and I thought my period might be just a little behind, so I took the test (to pretty much just put my mind at ease that I was just late.) I had 2 bright pink lines. They confirmed my most bittersweet feelings. I went back into Alan's room. I never said anything to him, I just hugged him, and, well, I guess he figured it out. He started crying, but I never did, I never knew how to react.

My mom was the first one I "told." One day I was talking to her on the phone and she randomly asked me if I was pregnant. I just didn't answer because I didn't know what to say. She actually took it really well. I expected a lot worse. My dad was a little more difficult. My mom told him one day when I wasn't around. I don't know how he reacted. We didn't really say a whole lot about it until a while later.

I guess that I am lucky, though, because my parents support me, and 7 months later, Alan and I are still together. We got engaged and are planning to live together for awhile. We are redecorating 2 rooms in his parent’s house, one for Alan and me, and one for our son Nicholas Ashton, who is due in only 2 months. I am doing better now. The initial shock has worn off, and everyone knows my news and has accepted my new life path. I am a senior in high school, so I miss out on some things, which is kind of hard. I am planning to be home schooled when Nicholas is born, and then I will go back and finish high school 6 weeks later. I am going to start nursing school next year, which is going to be very hard. Alan is working full time and going to night school, so we don't really see each other as much as we would want to, but we have someone else to take care of first.

The hardest part so far for me is just accepting myself, and waiting for everything to be alright. Waiting is hard, especially when you don't know the outcome, and there is not a whole lot you can do to fix it now. Before I got pregnant, I made a deal that if I ever did get pregnant, I would simply abort the baby, end of story. When I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. Just knowing that a little baby was inside of me depending on me was enough to make me be very anti-abortion.

I still feel that the world looks down on me, but if this has taught me one thing, it is to hold your head high, and not worry about what anyone else thinks or feels about you. It is an impossible thing to make everyone happy. You are never quite as alone as you think you are, even though it feels that way. Life never gives you more than you can handle, and good things creep out of even the darkest places.