teenMoMs Speak Outline
There are a lot of questions! The intent is to help you remember your whole experience – even
those little details may be something that will communicate in a powerful way to someone listening
to your story. After you have written each “question”, we will work on editing the content to fit
different time allotments that you will have to speak – and we will also work at editing your story
to fit the interests of specific age groups, etc.
1. Write narrative about your life before you got pregnant – home situation (who you lived
with, bothers/sisters – where you fit in age wise, if you got along with them and your
parent(s), etc), what you were involved in at school, how you felt about yourself, what
your ideas were about sex and boyfriends . . . .
2. Write a narrative about your situation at the time you got pregnant – your friends, what
you were involved in at school, church, etc., did you feel pressure to become sexually
active with a boyfriend – from him – from your other friends, what were your attitudes
about sex at that time, what/who shaped your attitudes about sex, did you think about
getting pregnant – did you have a “plan” just “in case”, did it worry you, did you feel
(honestly) that you had enough information to avoid a pregnancy, what were your
attitudes about birth control at the time, etc.
3. Write a narrative about looking back – from where you are now, to what you were thinking,
involved in back at the time you got pregnant – what are the differences in your attitudes,
would you do anything different if you knew what you know now, would anything done or
said make you wait for sex, etc.
4. Write a narrative about finding out about your pregnancy – why did you suspect, how did
you find out, what was going through your mind at that moment, one day later, when did
you tell the father and how, what was his reaction, what were you thinking about his
reaction – how did that make you feel, when did you tell your parents, how did you plan to
tell them, what did you think their reaction would be, what was their reaction (if you told
your mom and dad separate – write about both of their reactions), how did their reaction
make you feel, what was going on in your head an hour, one day, one week after you told
them, when did you tell your friends, what was their reaction and what was going through
your head at their reaction, how did your extended family find out, how did you feel when
you got together with any extended family the first time after them finding out about your
pregnancy, what was it like walking into school after you knew you were pregnant – and
what was it like walking into school after you knew everyone else knew you were pregnant,
what did you feel about yourself, etc.
5. Write a narrative about your pregnancy – the physical changes and how did you feel about
yourself as your pregnancy progressed, did anything change in your social life during this
time, did anything change in your family life during this time, did your relationship with
your boyfriend change during this time, how did you feel walking into a store, down the
street, what were the reactions of your teachers, pastor, physically how did you feel during
the first trimester – second – third, what happened at your check-ups, what did you feel
during these check-ups (what was going through your mind), etc.
6. Write a narrative about your birth experience – CONCENTRATE more on how you felt
EMOTIONALLY during this time – what were you thinking, how were you feeling
emotionally when your labor started, were you scared – why, did you fully understand the
changes that were happening with your body as you gave birth, what were the reactions of
the hospital staff to you, what did you feel when you saw your child for the first time (be
honest here!), joy – fear – just too tired to care much – disappointment, did you feel like
you thought you would, had you thought ahead of time what your labor and delivery
experience would be like and did your experience match your expectations – why or why
not.
7. Write a narrative about the day you came home from the hospital – what were you feeling
emotionally, how did you feel physically, were you scared, who did you go home to
(parents, husband) and what did you feel about that, how were you taken care of, who
took care of the baby – did you have any thoughts about that.
8. Write a narrative about the first couple of months – how did you feel about yourself, your
body, did any of your relationships change with friends – boyfriend/husband – parents,
how did you handle the responsibility of a baby, did you have public assistance or help
from parents financially – how did you feel about that, was having a new baby what you
expected – how was it different (or the same) and how did you feel about that, did you
change – and how.
9. Write a narrative about being a mom now – did you have any personal goals – did those
change, what’s been the most difficult thing – the easiest, how have your relationships
changed – with friends, boyfriend/baby’s father, parents, how do you feel about your body
and the changes that have taken place because of having a child.
10. Write a narrative about the future – has it changed from what you thought it would be,
what do you want for your child, what do you feel about the risks your child faces because
of being a child of a teenage parent, would you feel okay about your child becoming a
teenage parent.
teenMoMs Speak . . . . . making a difference in the life of a peer
Jody Winstrom, teenMoMs Director
Youth for Christ of Ottawa & Allegan Counties
P.O. Box 2121
Holland, MI 49422-2121
616-403-9153
jodymwin@sbcglobal.net