Three months went by with me going to the clinic for check-ups, and my parents were still clueless about my pregnancy at that stage. Luckily, I was not showing yet. My hormones were also already all over the place, so they just thought I was being my moody self.

Eventually, my parents found out when I could not handle being so secretive anymore. I told my boyfriend to speak to my parents about it, and that we would be together when telling them. We were very scared of their reactions. I did not want to see the disappointment on their faces, but I knew it had to get done at some point.

When we told them, I had honestly never seen my father so disappointed in me. It broke my heart to see him looking at me like that, but I knew it would not be forever, and I was right. My father eventually accepted it really fast, and things went back to normal again. At least as normal as it could be.

The hardest time during my pregnancy was when I was alone. I had my boyfriend with me every day at this point, because that is how reliable he is. He took care of me every day, as if I was a fragile flower that needed to be kept safe. He always made sure that the baby and I were safe, even though it was only the first trimester at that point. Then he had to go home for a week.

At first, I was okay with the idea of him not being around for a week. He was not with me 24/7 already, but I just always knew he was close by. The day he left for his hometown, I acted as if everything was fine, when in reality all I wanted to do was cry. I know it sounds pathetic, but I was hormonal, so that was what I did. I cried after he had already gone though, because I did not want him to stay with me and not see his son.

It was tough being alone in our town when everyone was talking about me. That week felt like a month to me. I was crying a lot and not really speaking to anyone, but he did not know that. I always made him think I was okay because I wanted him to clear his head as well. I wanted him to be with his little boy.

The day before he came back, I started getting worried about my baby’s growth. My tummy was still flat, and everyone who had heard that I was expecting was asking me why I was not showing. Of course that caused me to panic a bit, so I immediately called my boyfriend. He calmed me down and told me that it was normal. I did not want to believe him, but I realised that I needed to calm down for the baby’s sake.

That following morning, everything was still seemingly fine, until my mother suddenly asked me about my belly. I did not understand what she meant until I went to look in a mirror. When I got there, there it was. My flat tummy was not so flat anymore. I was overjoyed knowing that my baby was growing perfectly, and that I had nothing to worry about. I had never been happier about anything.

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Tell us: How important do you think it is for both parents to be supportive and together throughout the pregnancy?