My Senior Year

Brent and I got married Nov 5th, 1977. It took two weeks to break the news, plan the wedding with me making my wedding dress. We lived in my parent's basement apartment. This way I could still go to school and we could save our money. Brent and I were so lucky to have parents that supported us in our decision to marry and continue our lives as normal as we could. I was just starting my senior year in high school. I only had one class required for graduation and that was English. I tutored elementary kids in the morning, went to school for lunch and english then was a teacher's aid in a history class. My english teacher was pregnant too, due a month before I was. She was a great teacher and very supportive of me. I think she stood up for me when the counselor tried to talk me into going to an alternative school. I didn't see the point. (The photo on the right is of me and Brent at my Senior Prom/Christmas Dance at the Capitol. I was about 4 months along there.) I wasn't popular and the other kids didn't care about me. No one ever said anything negative to me except one time I was going into the counselors office and a couple of sophemores who were waiting in the Principal's office, one said to the other, "looks like somebody liked her". My counselor heard that and they got in even more trouble. I didn't care. The only other time anyone ever said anything to me about being pregnant was when I was sitting in my English class. I was about 8 months along. I was rather big and couldn't sit in my desk straight forward so I had to sit sideways. The baby had the hiccups so my belly was jumping up and down. The kid behind me said, "how come your belly is moving like that?" I told him it was the baby's hiccups and he said, "doesn't that hurt?" I laughed and told him no. By then my English teacher had her baby and we had a sub. That lady didn't like me being there and thought I was a disruption so she talked the counselor into making me stay home the rest of the year. They provided me with home study program and once a week some lady came to the house to pick up my homework and give me a new reading assignment. On May 22nd, the day my baby was due, I had a doctor's appointment. I found out then that the baby was breech and I would have to have a c-section. I was so upset. I wanted so much to be a part of my first baby being born and wanted Brent there too. Back then, they didn't allow husbands in for that too often. The doctor told me he was sure I would make it to graduation on the 25th but if I had even one suspicious pain, was to get to the hospital immediately.
The next day I had a graduation rehersal. I went and got the program and my name was not on it. I was so mad. I went to my counselor and asked her why. She told me that because I wouldn't be at the ceremony, they didn't want to put my name n the program or it would mess up the order. I asked her why I couldn't be at the ceremony and she told me that I would be having my baby. I guess she had some sort of sixth sense because on May 24th around 11 pm, I had a little pain. I had never felt that before so Brent told me to go up and ask my mom. I went upstairs and told her where my pain was and she said "Call the doctor". Brent did and he said to get in to the hospital right away. I had a few more pains, nothing bad and the next morning, Kimberly Lucina Nielsen was born. I remember waking up out of the anesthesia with Brent patting me on the shoulder. That was so annoying but he said, "honey, you have your baby girl and she has lots of dark hair so you don't have to worry!" I wanted a girl so badly but I was so afraid she would be bald. I don't know why I thought that, just a new mother thing I guess. Kim was absolutely beautiful. Needless to say, I didn't go to my graduation. I called my girlfriend that morning before school and told her to pick up my year book for me. She did and had people sign it for me then she and my other friends brought it to me in the hospital before the ceremony. All the comments in there are congratulations on the baby. I was so lucky to have been able to finish high school the way I did. Nowadays, it would never even be a consideration.