Mom warns teens attending prom to be careful with shocking before and after photos
The beginning of April signals prom season for most high schoolers, where the anxiety of finding dresses, suits, and dates starts to kick in. But 19-year-old Adrienne is warning teens to be cautious of another unexpected outcome that can come from prom night.
Taking to Twitter to post photos from her own senior prom in April 2017, the teen shows followers how cute and carefree her and boyfriend Devyn were while exchanging corsages. However, the second set of photos flashes forward nine months to when the couple was introduced to a whole new world of responsibilities when they welcomed their baby girl.
“It’s April and officially prom season,” Adrienne tweeted alongside the photos. “So remember, if you aren’t careful things can go from cute pictures with your prom date, to 9 months later needing a babysitter when you guys go on a date.”
The cautionary tale from Adrienne reflects her own experience as a then 18-year-old teen, who, despite being on birth control at the time, became pregnant on prom night.
Explaining to Yahoo Lifestyle that she and Devyn had begun dating in October of her junior year, Adrienne says that her boyfriend joined the Marine Corps soon after in January 2016, and was stationed in California that summer. Since then, they’d been in a long-distance relationship, seeing each other only three to four times a year. When he made it home for her senior prom, it was sure to be something special. Still, the couple could never have guessed how life-altering the evening would become.
“Prom was April 22nd, and I found out that I was pregnant May 6th,” Adrienne says. “I was 18 when I found out, and when I had her. I was in theater throughout my high school years, and it was actually the morning of dress rehearsal for The Wizard of Oz. I took a pregnancy test in the bathroom of the high school, painted green and dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West.”
The pregnancy test came out positive, but Adrienne couldn’t believe it. She took two more tests a few days later to ensure that it was correct, but didn’t tell anyone until a week later.
“Devyn was training for his deployment at the time, so he was in the field when I found out,” she says. “I didn’t tell anyone at all until I could talk to him a week later. That was definitely the longest week of my life.”
Although Devyn was immediately thrilled to hear the news from his girlfriend, Adrienne admits to having to take time to process it — as did others in her conservative community.
“He was my first boyfriend and no one thought I would ever be a teen mom. I didn’t fit the stereotype that most people have,” she explains. “It took a few weeks before we told our parents, then we waited until after graduation and I was out of my first trimester to publicly announce. It was rough because I am from a small conservative area, and there was a lot of backlash since we aren’t married. However, this was a little unexpected blessing from God.”
Through a thread on her Twitter account, Adrienne tells the story of her relationship with Devyn, eventually sharing the highs and lows of pregnancy. These nine months included taking a hard look at many of her relationships — a process that she explains on her social media account — in addition to reevaluating her own beliefs. Feeling as though she and her boyfriend had sinned for having a child out of wedlock, it took time to be able to become excited for this new chapter of her life. Yet the presumed impossibility of her getting pregnant to begin with made the miracle that much sweeter.
“Despite my doctor’s saying I couldn’t get pregnant and being on birth control, we got to share the news of our little miracle,” Adrienne wrote on Twitter of their announcement.
Adrienne has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes a hormonal imbalance. While she was on the pill — and taking it correctly — she believed birth control would prevent pregnancy. However, she says it ended up leveling her hormones to a point that actually made it easier for her to become pregnant. As a result of her PCOS, Adrienne also had to take hormonal supplements during pregnancy. And once her baby girl was born, on January 17, the many signs that she was a blessing went into the consideration of her name.
“Her name is Delayla and it means ‘morning sun,’” Adrienne says of her nearly 4-month-old daughter. “It’s after the verse Psalm 30:5. Even though we sinned, God’s anger only lasts a moment, and his favor lasts a lifetime. And we are getting a lifelong reminder of his grace. My pregnancy was so rough, losing friendships I thought I had, but the joy in the morning was her arrival. Thus, why her name is ‘morning light.’”
Hardships continue for both Adrienne and Devyn, as the Marine is still 2,000 miles away from his girlfriend and baby girl. However, the couple has already made plans to get married once Adrienne gets her degree from Ball State University. “I should be graduating the end of 2019, and Devyn plans to reenlist,” Adrienne says. “So hopefully when I finish my degree, we’ll get married, and the three of us will move wherever he gets stationed next.”
As for those headed for prom in the coming weeks, Adrienne urges them (and all teens) to use a secondary contraceptive.
“No birth control is 100 percent effective,” she notes, “and you don’t know if yours doesn’t work until a pregnancy happens.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Why 20-year-old Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy is beautiful — but an exception
• 3-week-old baby continues to sleep in the same position as in his ultrasound — and it’s too adorable
• Mom whose daughter has muscle-wasting disease gets angry note for using disabled parking space
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
