“I was really young when I had my boys. I got pregnant at 12, and I was 15 when I had the second one. Basically, I was raising my babies while I was still a baby. I raised them while going to school. It was pretty damn tough. But I think I did a good job.

“We have a whole library at home, and I read every single book to them. We had encyclopedias, and every day I would tell them to learn a new word, that they would probably need to know it one day. I’ve always loved to study and to learn. I tried to teach them that knowledge is the most important thing. It’s something that nobody can ever take away from you. Just read and learn as much as you can, from anybody.

“I’m so proud of my boys. My youngest one is 15 and my oldest is 18. He graduated with honors from Lee High School, in the top 10%, and he’s going to UTI [Universal Technical Institute]. He has big plans. He wants to retire when he’s really young. He says, ‘Mom, I’m going to give you the life that you deserve.’

“While it was really challenging raising my boys on my own, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. It’s so sad to see little kids being taken away from parents or parents giving up their kids. Like, you gave birth to that child. How can you give up so easily?

“I didn’t give up. And look what great young men my boys have turned out to be. I couldn’t be more proud of them. And I’m proud of myself. For being 31, I think I’ve accomplished a lot.”

— Brenda Avila

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• She continues her mother’s life lessons

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“I became pregnant and had my baby when I was a freshman in high school. She was born in January. In February, I turned 15.

“It was pretty tough on me. I was trying to go to school, work and take care of my baby. My mom would help me out. My parents have always been supportive. But at the end of my sophomore year, I remember telling my mom, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ She said, ‘Yes, you can.’ But when you get a thought like that in your mind, that I can’t do it, it was too hard for me to back out.

“I started my junior year, and then I said, ‘That’s it.’ It was so stressful, so I got out.

“I continued to work and focused on raising my daughter. She’s 19 now. I’m about to turn 34. And I have three other kids; they’re 13, 12 and 9. I’m a single mom. I guess you could say that I have my hands full.

“I do look back on my life sometimes and think about how I could have made different decisions along the way. But with my kids, I don’t regret anything. I love them all. They’re wonderful kids.”

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“I’m due in December, 10 days after my birthday. It’s a girl. I had two miscarriages last year, so I’m excited for this one.

“The first time, we didn’t know what it was. The second one was a baby boy. I was 16 weeks pregnant, and I had to deliver the baby naturally. I got to see what he looked like and I got to hold him. It was pretty sad.

“This time, I know everything is going to be OK. The doctors are more prepared because of my history. They’re checking me every two weeks, so I feel really confident. I can’t wait to see her.”

— Yesenia Rodriguez

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• ‘I had my hand on his chest when he died’

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“I have an older brother whose son is going to be 8 this summer. We always joked about living in a world where so much bad stuff happens, so why does anybody procreate?

“Sometimes it feels like having a child, in and of itself, is kind of selfish. You’re doing this for yourself. But then you’re putting your kid out there in this crazy world, you know?

“I was actually kind of upset when I found out I was having a boy. I had always imagined myself raising a little girl into a young woman who I could teach to do better than what I’m seeing out there these days or than what I’ve done.

“But now I’m looking at the flip side with some of the young girls who are in bad relationships or what have you. I’m realizing that I’m going to have a son who I can teach to not be an abusive boyfriend. It takes two people to form a strong relationship, so I still have an opportunity to have an impact.”

— Rachel Barajas Flinn

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“MEND has this thing in October, which is Infant Awareness Loss Month, where they have a balloon release in memory of those who passed away. My fiancé actually proposed to me there. He wanted to incorporate my daughter into the engagement, so it was perfect.

“Right after that, we became pregnant again. When I found out, I cried for a week. It’s like you’re excited, and then you feel guilty for being excited because you already lost a child.

“This time, they took a lot of blood and ran a lot of tests. I found out that I have a genetic mutation called Factor V Leiden that causes blood clots. In pregnancy, it causes blood clots in the placenta and the umbilical cord.

“After learning that, I felt very guilty. I called him crying, saying it’s my fault that my daughter is not here. If I had known about this earlier, she would be here. But he was amazing through the whole thing. He held me and told me it would all be OK.

“So now I’m injecting my stomach with blood thinners daily to help prevent it from happening again. Because they believe my genetic mutation probably had something to do with my other pregnancy. The shots are a little painful, but it’s definitely worth it.”

When are you due?
“I’m due July 20, which is one day before my daughter was delivered. When the doctor told me I thought, no way. But this time we’re going to induce two weeks before for safety precautions. We’re trying to stay as positive as possible that everything will turn out fine.”

— Crystal Ortiz

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• Support group helps her deal with daughter’s death
• Mother of stillborn daughter shares experience
• She works to keep her daughter’s memory alive

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“It was hard for me to conceive, so I went back and forth to Houston for a whole year to see the best doctors. Finally I was told, sorry, we have done everything we can but you’re not going to be able to be a mom. I cried and cried.

“Then one day, one of my best friends invited me to go with her to Mexico on a tour of several cities to help take the stress and everything out of my mind. She told me, don’t be sad. It’s going to happen. And I said OK, and I let it go. 

“When I returned home, I started going to the gym and working out two hours a day, six days a week, just trying to forget all about it. Then, boom, I got pregnant with my son. Two years later, I got pregnant with my daughter. And a year after that, I had my other son.

“But with him, I had a very difficult time. I was on bed rest for four months and in the hospital for a month because of troubles with the placenta. I thought I was going to go insane there because the only time I could get up was to use the bathroom. I got very depressed.

“But in the end, it all worked out. Now I’m a mom who has three healthy children. I feel very fortunate.”

— Anna Saultz

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• ‘I’m thankful for the life I have here with my family’

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“My happiest moment? Definitely when I had my son. He was a surprise. And now I’m pregnant again, which is another surprise. But it’s a good surprise. We weren’t planning it or anything. It was just like, ‘Hi, I’m pregnant.’ … ‘Oh, OK.’”

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“It took us about seven years to have him. My wife had some issues with precancerous cells but, luckily, we were able to catch it all. Then it just took a while for her body to get ready.

“We were elated when we learned she was pregnant. We also were glad that we had already sown are wild outs and had our one-on-one time together.

“I didn’t necessarily want to be 38 and have a 2-year-old. I wanted to be a little bit younger. But, hey, that’s OK.

“Never say never. We might have another one. But right now, we’re not planning on it.”

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“I only finished the ninth grade because I got pregnant. After that, I did home-schooling.

“It was unplanned, very unplanned. But luckily I have my baby’s father there for me. He’s the one that got me to come to Lee College. I’m 17 and pursuing registered nursing; he’s going for process technology.

“My son turned 1 in August, and I’m currently three months pregnant. I had an ultrasound, and they said it’s going to be a girl. After this I’m getting on a five-year birth control plan, and I’m going to stay in college and finish out my schooling.”

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• Through rough times, she learned about parenthood

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