English Composition, Personal Narrative: Pregnant at 15 (Essay Sample)

Richard Calo
English Composition 1
Personal Narrative
March 10, 2016
Pregnant at 15
I was barely the age of fifteen when I got pregnant by a stranger. I was still a student, and this brought such a tremendous burden on me. Situations had changed so drastically, and I felt that life was playing a cruel trick on me. It is hard to conceptualize the idea of being expectant at my tender age and while still in school. I kept wondering what my friends, family, and society would regard of me. My mind was always busy as I tried to figure out what to do and I contemplated committing suicide at some point because I saw myself as a total failure and disgrace of the family. I lost my self-esteem and dignity due to the situation. I was the subject of ridicule and mockery among my mates. Keeping the pregnancy was bad because with time, I had to forego my studies to deliver and raise the child, and so I chose to have the baby adopted after birth.
The pregnancy was as a result of a rape incident by a stranger. I had visited a friend who lived in a town away from home to attend her birthday party. The party took place during the night, and there were several invitees. My friend was from an affluent family and her parents were on vacation, and so there was absolutely no supervision at the party. Alcohol was among other drinks available and to my surprise; some of the teenage invitees had brought addictive drugs with them. I was so naïve and did not want to engage in alcohol and drugs, so I opted to settle for fresh fruit juice. As the party progressed, a young man came up to me and invited me to dance with him, which I reluctantly agreed. After dancing to exhaustion, he offered me a glass of alcohol but I turned it down and told him I could only take some juice, and so he offered to bring me fruit juice. I drank it rather fast to quench my thirst and to cool myself off from the vigorous dancing. However, I immediately began to feel dizzy, and it did not occur to me that he had drugged me with the juice. Early the following morning, I found myself in a deserted house. My head was heavy and my sight a little blurred. I was terrified. I hurriedly put my things together and left for home in disbelief. In a month’s time, I began to feel so sickly and one morning on a visit to my doctor, he revealed to me that I was pregnant. It then occurred to me that the stranger at the party must have mauled me while I was unconscious.
Due to the many drawbacks and humiliation associated with early motherhood, I decided to carry forth the pregnancy to term and have the baby adopted after birth. Deciding to raise the child myself would only mean I forego my studies and look after the baby. Meanwhile, I continued to study while pregnant and when it was time to deliver the baby I took some time off school. I delivered safely and immediately surrendered up the baby for adoption so that I could carry on with my studies. However, being in school while pregnant proved to be a tough task and it helped me reflect on the difficulties I would face if I had chosen to raise the child and continue pursuing my education.
The decision to keep the pregnancy and have the baby adopted after birth had two key impacts on me. Having the baby given away enabled me to continue with my studies and I did not have to worry about the child’s welfare and needs. However, as much as I tried to cope with it, having the baby taken away seemed to affect adversely my concentration levels and ultimately my performance as a whole. A good friend suggested tha...