Teen Mom Shares Her Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Crystal Grilley had to grow up earlier than those her age, when she was faced with the challenges of becoming a teen mom.

When Grilley graduated high school, she was towards the end of her first trimester of pregnancy.

“I was raised in a very poor family, so I was told from a young age that if I were to get pregnant, I would need to explore all my options,” Grilley said.

Grilley went to Planned Parenthood to get her pregnancy test. Planned Parenthood they provided her with explanations for all of the options she could choose from. Grilley knew that her family and herself could not afford for an abortion, so in her eyes there was only one option.

“I knew that if I could just get away from my step dad and get out of the house that I could work and support myself and my child,” stated Grilley.

Grilley did exactly that. After the birth of her second child, Grilley went to college to study nursing.

“I did what I could,” Grilley said “I took a class here, and I took a class there, until I finished and graduated”.

After she found out that she was pregnant, Grilley knew that she wanted to become a nurse in order to help other young women and those going through teenage pregnancy.

Oklahoma is ranked as the fourth highest state in the United States for teen birth in 2022. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age.”

The CDC also states that children of teenage mothers are likely to no do well in class, have health problems, be incarcerated at some point, give birth as a teen, and face unemployment as a young adult.