When a woman or couple is faced with the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy, there are a few different options. This isn't about telling you what you should or shouldn't do, this is about what I chose to do. A decision that was deeply personal, but one that was inevitable.

A Bit Of Background

I was nineteen years old, still a child by most of society's standards. I found myself in an all too familiar, yet devastating position that a lot of young girls find themselves in. I was pregnant. I wasn't in a relationship, and I had just started college. I was having the time of my life; new friends, sororities, living on my own for the first time... Freedom, finally. It was fabulous. Then, that. It was the absolute worst thing that could have happened at the time. For awhile, I did the most immature and irresponsible thing I could do. I ignored it. I knew it wouldn't make it go away, but it was my way of dealing with it. If I didn't think about it, I didn't have to worry about decisions, or judgement. That's the thing about society... People are always so quick to judge young people who find themselves in situations like that, but what they don't realize is, there's no way they're judging you any harsher than you're judging yourself. I beat myself up over it for weeks. I was a smart girl! I had just received a full ride scholarship to my school of choice... How could I have been so stupid? But once you realize that beating yourself up and putting yourself down isn't going to make it go away, you can finally start to deal with things.

Decisions, decisions...

Once I came to terms with the fact that I was, in fact, going to have a baby, I was flooded with options. First, I could keep the baby. Love it, cherish it, and raise it. Give it what it needed, and most of what it wanted. Thing is, I wasn't exactly in any position to provide for a child. Some people may think that giving up a child for adoption is an incredibly selfish decision, but for me, it was the opposite. I was completely aware that if I kept this child, I would never be able to provide for him or her they way they deserved. My family was supportive, and offered help to me if I decided to keep it. But I refused to be a mother that couldn't do it on my own and constantly needed help, whether it be financially or emotionally. I knew immediately that I was not going to keep this child. So then I was faced with two options: abortion or adoption. Abortion is an extremely touchy subject, one I'm not going to discuss in this hub. I will say though, it was an option I considered. Once I decided that abortion wasn't the route I wanted to pursue at that time, I was left with only one option.