Grace Navaro: Welcome to Growing Up and Raising Up, where real stories meet real life. I'm Grace Navaro, and this podcast is about navigating teen motherhood right here in the Imperial Valley — a place full of heat, hustle, and heart.
Casey Davalos: I'm Casey Davalos, and throughout this episode, we'll talk honestly about struggles, stigma, school, relationships, money, and the strength it takes to rise through it. You'll hear a story from a young mom and an expert telling us about what it means to raise up, even when you're still growing up.
Grace: Today's episode kicks off with the journey of becoming a teen mom and still finding success throughout her high school years. It's more than just diapers and sleepless nights. It's about growing up fast while raising someone else, learning who you are while teaching someone else how to live.
Jessica: My name is Jessica, and I'm 32 years old now.
Let’s just jump into it. Yeah, so, um, I found out I was pregnant when I was 14. I was pregnant my entire freshman year. When I started high school, I was already three months pregnant. I found out that I was pregnant simply because I had a stretch mark on my inner thigh, and I thought, this doesn't happen to 14-year-olds — why do I have a stretch mark? I'm so fit.
I called my cousin and she goes, that happens to big people and pregnant people. And I was like—she goes, are you pregnant? And I was like, probably.
Casey: What type of support did you have? Did your family support you?
Jessica: When I told my parents, my mom — she’s Hispanic — was conflicted. She wanted to be excited, like I can be a grandma, I’m so happy, but she was also upset because I was 14 years old. She was torn.
My dad was 100% like, you’re aborting. When I told him I was already four months pregnant — 16 weeks — he did not care. He said, you’re getting suctioned, it’s gone right now, we’ll take you to the ER. Literally the night I told him, he’s like, let’s go to the ER, you’re getting an abortion right now.
My mom was like, what do you mean? She can’t do that, there’s a whole human. And he was like, no, this will ruin her future, it’ll ruin her life, her life is over, this is it. And my mom was like, you’re not doing that, that’s murder, you can’t do that.
That night, we were all crying. My dad went to bed and didn’t talk to me for a year after that.
So my mom supported me because my dad didn’t talk to me. He was disappointed and angry. But my mom — even though she was stern and angry — she definitely supported me. She didn’t baby me though. She made me do everything. She was like, no, you wanted this baby, you’re going to get up and do what you have to do. You can get up at 3 a.m., you do whatever you need to do.
She helped me when I needed help — like if I was doing laundry, studying for a test, or just needed someone to watch the baby briefly. But everything else I did on my own.
Casey: And how were you judged as a student?
Jessica: The first time you’re pregnant, you don’t show right away. I was a 14-year-old, skinny, 118-pound, tiny little thing, and I hid my pregnancy until I was six months. I could suck in my stomach, wear big shirts, all that.
But my classmates started to notice that I was getting chubby, my face too. I would walk through the hallways and they would literally whisper and look at me, just like you see in movies. And I would feel like, oh God, everybody knows, everybody knows. Nobody actually knew yet.
Finally, in one of my classrooms — my English class — I walked in late one day, and everybody looked at me with disgust. I felt ashamed. I was the only freshman in the entire school that was pregnant. The next person from my graduating class didn’t get pregnant until their sophomore or junior year.
So everyone was looking at me like, what is wrong with you? You’re weird, you’re nasty. And I could hear rumors: I heard she’s pregnant, her baby daddy left, all kinds of things. It gave me so much anxiety. I didn’t know what anxiety was then — I just felt sweaty, nervous, crying, wanting to hide.
That day, I’d had enough. I walked into the classroom, stood on a chair, and said: Yes, I’m pregnant. Yes, I’m pregnant, okay? I’m pregnant. Then I took my sweater off and sat down. Everyone just stared — because there was a whole belly there.
After that, I was like, forget you guys, I don’t care. I’m going to finish school, I’ll be fine. My teacher, Ms. Galindo, had my back. She was also pregnant at the same time, so our sons were in school together. That gave me peace of mind.
Casey: How did your pregnancy and birth go?
Jessica: I didn’t even know what to expect. I went through the whole pregnancy just living day to day. No contractions, no complications. My due date was May 21st. I went to the hospital and they told me to come back in five days.
On May 26th, I came back and my doctor said, do you want to have a baby? I’m your doctor, but I’m leaving on a flight for my son’s graduation. So we can do a C-section right now, or you can wait and have another doctor.
I was 14 and I only knew that doctor, so I said, no, don’t leave me. So they prepped me, and at 12:26 a.m., Alan was born.
I took four days off, came back to take my finals, then it was summer vacation. By sophomore year, I had a three-month-old baby.
Grace: Teen moms often struggle to complete school. How did you find success?
Jessica: I was successful because I had a community that helped me. My school, Central Union High, was the only one that had a childcare facility to support teen moms. Girls from other districts wanted to transfer just for that.
So my home support wasn’t the greatest, but my school support was amazing. I would walk to school in the morning with Alan in his stroller, drop him off, and go to class. I’d get updates from students and staff during the day.
I graduated top 20 of my class. I got accepted to Northridge and Fullerton, but didn’t go because Alan was only three years old. My parents said I could go to college only if I left Alan with them, but I refused. So at 17, I moved out. My rent was $500 for a two-bedroom, one-bath studio. I got on government assistance, started at IVC, and earned two degrees. I even got halfway through a bachelor’s before motherhood and life caught up.
The childcare program at school was run by staff and students, and Alan was calm and easy. Students would run to class just to pick him to take care of. Even now, people stop us in the grocery store, remembering him from that program.
Casey: Did you ever worry about leaving him there?
Jessica: At first, yes. But the program was solid. The staff had degrees in early childhood education, and the student helpers loved those babies. Alan was always safe.
Grace: How did you balance motherhood and still being a teenager?
Jessica: I was still a kid. I’d bring Alan to high school parties because I had no babysitter. My friends would set up forts for him with pillows, toys, and SpongeBob. He was like the class mascot.
We even went on a trip to San Diego for senior ditch day. Alan was two years old. We carved out three cars, and I had a stroller ready outside campus. My friends and I piled into the car, but Alan needed a car seat, and it didn’t fit with everyone else. So someone actually had to ride in the trunk so Alan could have a proper seatbelt.
As we drove toward the inspection checkpoint, we panicked — worried we’d get a ticket or worse. We pulled over, put my friend April in the trunk, and kept driving. At the checkpoint, the scanners showed her crouched in there. The agents started asking questions, and I was so nervous, I just blurted out, he has a car seat!
They asked us to open the trunk. April crawled out, all sweaty and gasping, and everyone in line behind us stared. It was wild — but the agents laughed and let us go.
We went to Mission Beach, got Baked Bear, and had the best day. Alan was the only three-year-old hanging out with all the seniors, and it was a blast.
Casey: Too funny. As you look back at that time, what would you say now?
Jessica: Sex and drugs aren’t it. Find a hobby, find a skill. If you don’t know what you like, go find out. Explore the world.
We live in tiny El Centro, the Imperial Valley. It feels like we’re in a bowl, surrounded by mountains. It’s easy to think this is all that exists, because everything here is comfortable — five minutes away, everyone knows everyone. But you won’t succeed if you stay in that comfort.
You have to spread your wings, and know you can always come back. Don’t let one bad choice — sex, drugs, or partying too hard in high school — trap you here forever.
Narrator: After hearing this intense story, Jessica knows what it is to be Growing Up and Raising Up.
