With a crying infant in the background and a midterm to study for, being a student and a mother can require a lot of time management and patience.
Hannah Fischer, business marketing freshman, juggles being a young mother, a student and an employee all while trying to keep herself afloat.
Fischer said she was 17 years old and a senior at Butler High School when she found out she was pregnant.
“We ended up taking four pregnancy tests, so we were pretty positive about it,” Fischer said. “My first thoughts were that I wasn’t going to be able to play any more sports, and then immediately after that I started realizing that it was time to grow up.”
Part of growing up, Fischer said, meant she had to find a way to tell her parents about her unexpected pregnancy.
“I was too scared to tell my mom, so I had my friend’s mom tell my mom,” Fischer said. “They were both pretty upset for a couple of weeks, but I kind of expected that.”
What Fischer said she didn’t expect were the feelings that built during her pregnancy.
“Surprisingly, I was more excited than anything,” Fischer said. “There were definitely some things I was still afraid of though, like
labor.”
Trevor Holtsclaw, general studies freshman, is the child’s father and had his own worries and concerns.
“I was 18 years old when we found out, and I was scared,” Holtsclaw said. “I didn’t know how I was going to tell my parents.”
Holtsclaw said his mother took the news well, but his dad didn’t talk to him for a week.
After the initial fear they both faced, Fischer and Holtsclaw finally welcomed their baby, Trenton Fischer-Holtsclaw, into the world on June 20.
Since Trenton’s birth, Holtsclaw has been providing for his son, despite the stigma of being a young father.
“I think Trevor’s been pretty involved since we’ve had Trenton,” Fischer said. “He helps to buy a lot of stuff for him, like formula especially, and that’s always really helpful.”
Any help Fischer can get, she said she is extremely grateful for. Working part-time, being a full-time student and a full-time mother leaves her little to no time.
“I don’t have a lot of free time anymore,” Fischer said. “Sometimes I put off studying or even sleeping for what seems like more important things.”
Holtsclaw said his average days with Trenton are different.
“Typically, I get up at noon, get ready to go pick up Trenton from daycare and then spend about an hour with him before I go to school,” Holtsclaw said. “Once I get home from school, I see him briefly and then leave again for work.”
Holtsclaw said he notices the sacrifices Fischer has had to make as a young mom.
“She’s given up a lot of things, like not hanging out with her friends as much or going out as much, and I know she’s been trying to save her money, and she’s doing really well,” Holtsclaw said. “I think she’s handled everything great — the best that you can in this situation.”
Before finding out about her pregnancy, Fischer said she had different plans for herself after high school.
“I was supposed to play volleyball for whatever college recruited me,” Fischer said. “I had several universities interested, so I had a lot to choose from.”
Although Fischer ended up on a different path, she said she remains motivated to get her pursue degree.
“I’m going to school for a lot of reasons, but mainly so Trenton will have a better life,” Fischer said. “I also don’t want to work a minimum-wage job for the rest of my life either.”
Holtsclaw said being a father has been rewarding, he said he looks forward to seeing his son do new things.
“The biggest reward of being a dad is seeing the similarities that he has between his mom and I,” Holtsclaw said. “I look forward to simple things like seeing him walk and talk for the first time and hearing his first words.”
While her life didn’t go as planned, Fischer said she can’t get enough of her son and embraces motherhood.
She said she has no regrets and gives advice for other young parents on how to multitask and to remain positive.
“Don’t ever give up,” Fischer said. “It’s going to be hard, but it will eventually get a bit easier. Try not to think of it in a bad way, because having a baby is a great thing.”
By MICHELLE JONES
Staff
mdj7@imail.iu.edu