Success Stories

Being a first-time mother is never easy. And it’s really not easy when you’re just 16 years old and don’t have a solid relationship with the baby’s father. But that was Teena’s situation. And to make things even more challenging, she was recovering from cancer and still attending follow-up appointments when she discovered she was pregnant.

Early in her pregnancy, Teena started working with the Catawba Valley Healthy Families (CVHF) program. The home visitor helped her understand the changes she was experiencing during her pregnancy and educated her about different milestones she should expect her baby to reach.

Because Teena had dropped out of high school because of her illness, the home visitor encouraged her to complete her GED. They had many discussions about the benefits of completing her high school degree, and after Jayden was born, she started working toward her GED.

Today the family is doing great. Teena and her boyfriend got married when the Jayden was about 6 months old, and they have been in a stable relationship ever since.

Now, Jayden is 3 ½ and he has stayed on track with his development. He is in Pre-K two days per week and can sing the entire ABC song by himself. Jayden’s father works full-time and Mom works part time and is one test away from completing her GED. Once she completes her GED, Teena plans to enroll in college courses.

They have lots of family support in the area, including one of Jayden’s grandmothers who will babysit a couple of days a week. As Teena and her husband have learned, parenting is never easy, but it’s manageable with the right education and supports like CVHF by their side.