Judy Tatiana Londono, sixteen, with her daughter Yaitza.
Tatiana My name is Tatiana. My daughter is almost going to be two. I’m in school in ninth grade. I’m sixteen. I was born in Columbia and then when I was seven I came here.
Amanda When did you realize that you were pregnant?
Tatiana Like I already knew because I didn’t use a condom. I was like, “I think I’m pregnant,” but you know I just let it pass like nothing happened and everything. And then my mother came to me and was like, “Why haven’t you gotten your period?” and I was like, “Oh, I don’t know?” things happen. “Are you sure you haven’t been with no man?” “No, no I haven’t.” So then the next day she was like, “I’m going to take you to the clinic,” and so we went and yeah I was pregnant.
I was fourteen. At first I didn’t want to have it cause my mother told me that if she found out I was pregnant she was gonna kick me out of the house. I was like, “No, no, I can’t have this baby.” But then, you know how when you are pregnant you get curious and you want to know everything? What’s growing inside of you? So in the computer, I started searching. I put abortion and then there were these pictures of abortions and I saw them and I just couldn’t abort anymore. So I decided to have it.
You know how when you are pregnant you get curious and you want to know everything? What’s growing inside of you? So in the computer, I started searching. I put abortion and then there were these pictures of abortions and I saw them and I just couldn’t abort anymore. So I decided to have it.
Amanda And so your mom knew immediately. What was her reaction?
Tatiana I started crying and she said, “Oh don’t cry cause that’s an angel.” She was really sad because I was young. I guess I’m still young, but I was fourteen. She asked me all the questions in the world and then the last question was “who is the daddy?”
Amanda What about the baby daddy?
Tatiana He told me he planned it. I don’t know. I don’t believe it. I was obviously mad because why would you? I was fourteen. Why would you get me pregnant?
Amanda How old was he?
Tatiana He was eighteen when I got pregnant.
Amanda How did your friends react when you told them you were pregnant?
Tatiana Because I was the roll model they couldn’t believe it. But then, as the time went by, they saw my belly growing. For me going to school show that no matter what happens in your life you just never have to give up. I didn’t care, I really didn’t care what they think you know. I was proud of myself. They were very supportive. They always ask me, “What form does the baby now have?” They used to touch my belly and stuff like that.
Amanda After you had the baby you came home and who were you living with at the time? What was your home situation?
Tatiana My home situation was really good cause it was just my mother and the baby’s daddy. It was like the first time, the first three weeks living with the daddy and the baby and it was a really good experience and a bad experience too because of the baby waking up and I was still in school. She was only one month when I went back to school.
I had to wake up earlier than I used to because at that time it was winter and I had to take her to daycare by walking or taking the bus and it was mad cold outside. There was a lot of snow and everything. I used to struggle a lot. Oh man, the first day that I took her to the babysitter I started crying and everything.
Amanda How did you learn to become a mom?
Tatiana Being a mom comes naturally after you have a baby. To be sincere. It’s in you. When a baby is in your body, you are a mother, you know.
