Bridget and her husband, Nathan, have been together for over 36 years. And despite facing an unplanned teen pregnancy in the early years of their relationship, they learned to endure various hardships and choose life for their son, Blake, who is now 33 years old.

“I thought about abortion. But in my mind, we don’t believe in that. We have to keep the baby. We’re going to have to figure it out,” Bridget says.

Bridget and Nathan started dating when she was a freshman in high school. By the end of her sophomore year, she found herself unexpectedly pregnant at 16 years old. But despite being a teen mom, Bridget knew that choosing life was the right choice. 

“When I went to the doctor’s office and I heard the heartbeat, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a baby.’ That’s when I realized, I can’t do that [abortion]. That’s a whole baby with a heartbeat,” Bridget recalls.

Parenting as a teen mom

A month after giving birth, Bridget turned 17 and continued high school with the support of her parents. She didn’t feel ashamed being a pregnant student because there were many girls in her school who were in the same situation. However, Bridget felt like she disappointed her parents, especially since her dad was a pastor.

“I graduated from high school, and I had a five-month-old baby in the stands and nobody else did. In some way, it was a little embarrassing, but I just went through the embarrassment,” Bridget says.

Bridget’s children.

For Bridget, caring for a newborn was the easiest part of being a teen mom. It wasn’t until Blake got older that she realized how unprepared she was to tackle motherhood.

“I wasn’t afraid, and I should have been. I didn’t get afraid until my son got older, and I realized I didn’t really know how to be a parent … I don’t know how to parent this kid. How do I parent this kid? I’m a kid!” Bridget says.

Bridget’s parents helped care for their grandchild so Bridget could attend college. However, time away from Blake impacted Bridget’s bonding experience with him. She felt more like a sister, rather than a mom. It wasn’t until her mom passed away that Bridget developed a mother-son relationship with her child.

“My son has his dad. He has me, but I feel like the bond that he and my mom had was a very deep bond. That’s the bond that I was supposed to have with my child. That was the downside of having a baby as a teenager, having an unexpected pregnancy at a young age,” Bridget says.

‘I grew up a lot’

Bridget’s son, Blake, is now 33 years old and played Division I basketball in college.

Navigating an unplanned pregnancy and learning to parent were difficult for Bridget, but she worked hard to make sure she accomplished her goals and gave her son the best life possible.

“Because I became a mother at such a young age, I grew up a lot … I had to make sure that my child was loved and I was able to be there for him as much as I could,” Bridget says.

Bridget graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is on track to graduate with her master’s in social work next year. Bridget plans to use her education to become a therapist, working with children and families.

“I was a teenage, unwed mother. My kids were supposed to be on welfare, kids supposed to be in prison, not being successful. I wasn’t falling under the statistics of an unwed, teenage mother. I graduated from high school. I went to college. I got my bachelor’s. I’m working on my master’s. I didn’t fall into the statistics,” Bridget says.

In the past two years, Bridget has been running a group home for children who are not able to live with their parents. She also owns a daycare that she started with her mom.

“I’ve just been surrounded by kids, and I believe that’s my calling,” Bridget says.

‘Find a foundation in God’

Bridget and her husband, Nathan.

Bridget and her husband are parents to four children — one of which is a nephew they raised starting when he was two weeks old. They also adopted their youngest child, and they have four grandkids.

Looking back, Bridget attributes her growth as a mother to the older women God had put in her life. Those women mentored her as she embraced motherhood at a young age.

“Find a foundation in God and find some older women to gravitate around so they can encourage you, help you make good choices, keep you rooted and grounded, and help you make choices that are going to be better for you and your child, not just yourself,” Bridget says.

Bridget’s encouragement to expectant parents facing an unplanned pregnancy:

“My encouragement would be for them to trust God. There are going to be times when it seems really hard. It seems like you’re not going to be able to make it, but you can.”