Panic, fear and anxiety — this was 23-year-old Gabby’s gut reaction when she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant. She was a year out from college and in between jobs. And on top of that, she didn’t know how she would navigate an unplanned pregnancy alone. 

Gabby and her child’s father were casually seeing each other, and by the time she found out she was pregnant in July 2023, her baby’s father had already left for infantry schooling for the U.S. Army.

“I went about the next couple of weeks like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?’ I was living in Chicago, so in a very blue state and there’s access to abortion. It was quickly presented to me as an option, but I knew in my heart that was something I did not want to do.” Gabby says.

‘THE BEST GIFT EVER’

Photos from Gabby’s maternity photoshoot.

Shortly after finding out she was pregnant, Gabby had an OBGYN appointment to confirm the pregnancy. She found out that her estimated due date landed on her birthday in March, which felt like a God-given sign for her to choose life.

“It felt like God was saying, ‘Hey, I’m giving you the best gift ever.’ That was something that really stuck with me,” Gabby recalls.

Gabby visited a Catholic church a few days after her appointment. She wept out loud in an empty church and prayed, “Please give me a sign that I can do this. I am so lost.” 

She walked around the church and stopped at the statue of St. Jude, the patron saint of hope and impossible causes. Looking at St. Jude reminded Gabby of her friend, Jacob, who passed away from cancer. Feeling Jacob’s presence in the church was Gabby’s second sign that she had the strength to choose life.

“I was like, oh my goodness. Jacob is here with me. He’s telling me that I can do this, and I truly felt that he was holding my hand and was like, ‘You got this, Gab. You can do this’ … It was really in that moment that I was like, yeah, I can do this. I want to do this. I can do this,” Gabby recalls.

‘CONGRATS, MAMA! YOU GOT THIS!’

Photos from Gabby’s maternity photoshoot.

Once Gabby decided to keep her baby, she reached out to a former co-worker, Alexa Leitgeb, who chose life during an unplanned pregnancy in her early 20s. Gabby knew that Alexa would be able to give her the support and encouragement she needed.

“Something that stuck with me was Alexa was the first person to say, ‘Congrats, Mama! You got this!’” Gabby recalls.

Alexa and her husband, Todd, invited Gabby over for dinner. Gabby was worried and shared her concerns about how her Catholic family would respond to the news of her pregnancy.

Alexa encouraged Gabby and said, “They’re going to be happy that you’re choosing life, and that’s what you have to remember. At the end of the day, if they’re truly Catholic like you’re saying, they’re going to be more proud and happy for you that you’re having this baby than not.”

Hearing those words brought Gabby relief from her worries and fears, and she felt more confident in her decision to choose life for her baby.

‘I’M HAPPY THAT YOU’RE CHOOSING LIFE’

Gabby and her newborn son, Charlie.

Gabby waited until she was 12 weeks along before sharing the news with Daniel, her child’s father. She was worried about how he would respond to the news, since he was just starting his career in the army. During their call, Gabby reassured him that it would be his choice whether he wanted to be involved or not. 

Daniel was speechless and didn’t say much during their call. But he reached out again a day later, and his response brought tears to Gabby’s eyes. She expected the worst, but was blown away by how supportive he was.

Gabby’s son, Charlie.

“I do want to meet the baby and be involved. This is a big deal. I’m happy that you’re choosing life,” Daniel told Gabby. “If you aren’t ready to be a mom right now, I just want you to know that I would take care of this baby on my own. I know this is crazy. Your whole life is going to change. I just want you to know that I will take care of this baby. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’m willing to raise it on my own if need be.”

By September 2023, Gabby left Chicago to move back home with her family in Ohio. She was unemployed, but kept a positive outlook that everything in her life would work out if she took life one day at a time. Gabby applied to different jobs and eventually got a digital marketing position at Sherwin-Williams’ global headquarters.

“Everything has fallen perfectly into place since getting pregnant,” Gabby says.

Baby Charlie.

Daniel’s family has been extremely supportive as well. His mom flew in for Gabby’s baby shower, even though she had not met Gabby or her family before.

“As soon as his parents found out about my pregnancy, they were so excited. I have the sweetest card from his parents telling me how happy they were that I chose life,” Gabby says.

Gabby didn’t find out the gender of her child until her baby was born. Her mom happily announced the gender in the operating room.

“I was so in shock. No tears, but more so like, oh my gosh, I just had a baby boy,” Gabby recalls.

Daniel was attending ranger school when Gabby went into labor. But with the army’s permission, he was able to call Gabby and receive photos of their baby. By April 2024, Daniel graduated from ranger school and got to meet his son, Charlie, for the first time.

“My first words when I found out it was a boy was, ‘Daniel’s going to be so excited.’ The fact that I was thinking of how excited Daniel was shows how supportive he was throughout the pregnancy and how excited he was for the baby, even though he couldn’t be there during the delivery,” Gabby says.

‘I WAS BORN TO DO THIS’

Being in her early 20s with a child is not easy for Gabby, but she wouldn’t trade motherhood for anything else. 

“I don’t regret it for a second. All of it was so worth it, and that’s all I can really say … It has been beautiful. It’s more than anything I could ever dream about. I think it came about naturally … I feel like I was born to do this,” Gabby says. 

Gabby with her son, Charlie.

Gabby is grateful for her village. She would not have adjusted so well to this new season in her life if her family and friends had not gone above and beyond to support her and her baby. 

“To the women who are scared to go through it and who may not have the amount of support that I do, something that I would recommend is if you could push through it, your village will come. I just felt my village grew even more after having the baby,” Gabby says.

Gabby with Charlie and her family.

Gabby’s encouragement to women who are facing unplanned pregnancies:

“I would say, ‘You got this, mama!’ Hearing that for the first time, even before I had the baby, really just changed how I felt about my pregnancy. I had life inside me, and I was a mother, even before that baby was born. Calling someone mama can make the biggest impact because you become a mom when you get pregnant … Reiterating that you are a mother and women were born for this is exactly what I needed to hear and I burst into tears. That alone, hearing those words, is extra special.”