When I suspected I was pregnant, I called one of my best friends because I was afraid to tell my mom. My friend started looking up abortion clinics on her computer, but since her mom monitors the computer, her mom found that she had been looking. Her mom also noticed that the times and days that she was on these sites correlated with my phone calls and emails. My friend's mom suspected I was pregnant and called my mom to tell her.

My mom left work early and picked me up from school. She drove to a church parking lot and parked the car. She asked me several times if there was anything I needed to tell her, and I kept saying, "No." Then, she asked if my boyfriend and I had had sex. I denied it. She then said, "Good. Then, it won't be a problem to go to Care Net and have a pregnancy test done."

She drove to Care Net Pregnancy Center and I denied everything until we were there. Finally, I admitted that I thought I might be pregnant. The pregnancy test came back positive. The counselor there was great. She listened to me and took the time to answer all my questions. Then, I scheduled an ultrasound.

After the pregnancy test, my mom and I met with my boyfriend alone. Then, we drove over to his home and sat down with his parents to tell them. It was horrible! Right away, my boyfriend's mom went for the abortion route, but my mom was firm and strong, despite having just found out that her daughter was pregnant. My mom told my boyfriend's mom that she would absolutely not allow her daughter to get an abortion. All my boyfriend's dad said was, "Son, I bought you condoms. Why didn't you use them?"

Then, we went home and told my dad. He was very upset with me, but he supported me having the baby. He would not allow an abortion either. He was furious with my boyfriend for a long time. My boyfriend wasn't allowed to come over until my dad could make his peace with him.

There's no pretty way to say it — it was a mess! I was fifteen, a Christian, in high school and pregnant. The hardest part was the constant pressure from my boyfriend's parents to get an abortion. "Don't you understand what this means?" they kept telling him. "This will ruin your life. You're sixteen. Being a father for you means no sports, no college, no future. You'll need to work full-time just to survive. Tell her to get an abortion!" And so he told me—over and over again.

I would be lying if I said that my mind never went there. Sure, I thought about abortion, but I grew up believing that life is sacred, so abortion was not a choice I wanted to make. However, all this pressure made it difficult for me to stay strong, to keep myself together and to not break down.

When the time came to go in for the ultrasound, I invited my boyfriend to join me. I don't know exactly what we were expecting, but I was awestruck when I saw the ultrasound screen. I could see my baby's hands and feet, and I could hear and see his little heart beating. I glanced over to see my boyfriend's reaction. He looked at the screen and his face turned white. He sat down, wide-eyed, unable to speak.

The ultrasound was the turning point for him. I think he finally understood what this was all about. It made it real. He was a father. That baby was real. After that, my boyfriend stood behind my decision to carry our baby to term. He politely, but firmly, asked his parents to stop demanding that we get an abortion. Although his parents continued to lobby for abortion, my boyfriend stood firm and that gave me the strength to stand firm alongside him. As the weeks unfolded, we knew we were doing the right thing.

Our baby, Brian, entered this world on March 16th, 2008 at 7 pounds 3 ounces, 20 inches long. I love being a mom. Brian is a pure delight. He's a very happy baby and rarely cries. He likes to snuggle, play and laugh. My family has been really helpful. My mom cares for him while I'm in school. My boyfriend spends a lot of time caring for him, too. And, best of all, his family has made a complete turnaround. They love Brian and tell everybody how cute he is and what a sweet disposition he has.

To other teens in my situation, I would like to say, "Don't get an abortion. Having a baby isn't easy, but I wouldn't trade Brian for anything. He has brought a whole new dimension of blessing into my life." I'm still a typical teenager in many ways. I love life. I'm excited about finishing high school and going on to college. But I'm profoundly grateful to God, to Care Net and to Option Ultrasound for being there when I needed help. The ultrasound was the turning point for us. Because it helped my boyfriend choose life, it made this journey one that we're able to take together.

Casandra visited Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County.

Faces of Option Ultrasound Index

All Pregnancy Medical Clinics in the Option Ultrasound Program provide limited obstetrical ultrasound as medically indicated.  Clinics are licensed to operate under the supervision of a physician, using only trained sonographers. Focus on the Family does not endorse the use of ultrasound outside of a medical clinic setting and does not endorse the use of ultrasound for non-medical reasons.  Patient referrals are made to physicians for follow-up diagnosis and care as needed.