Lanie met the father of her baby, Isaac, in seventh grade when he was new to her school. The couple dated for two years before she became pregnant during the first semester of her freshman year of high school.

The couple’s first thoughts after learning of the pregnancy were to keep the baby, but were unsure if they would be supported or if that would be an option for them.

Before telling their families, Lanie and Isaac told Mrs. Peyton, a health teacher at their school, about the pregnancy. She helped them talk about how to tell their parents. They both told their parents later that week, five days after taking the pregnancy test.

After telling her parents, Lanie’s mother bought her another pregnancy test; she wanted to see the positive test for herself. Her mother also bought her prenatal vitamins and the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. This test showed much darker lines, opposed to the first test which had very faint lines.

Lanie’s high school cheerleading team was just about to enter its competition season when she learned of her pregnancy. Despite her wants to compete, she decided against it out of fear of harming the baby.

Only a few of Lanie’s friends were informed of her pregnancy because the first trimester is when a pregnancy is most likely to have complications or a miscarriage. In case something were to happen, she didn’t want many people to know.

Lanie didn’t start showing until she was nearly six months pregnant, yet her peers seemed to begin learning of her pregnancy. She felt as if more people were looking and talking about her, creating an uncomfortable environment. For her, things were more comfortable before people knew; she wanted them to know on her own terms.