I know this website is for mothers but I'm 18 and I'm ready to have a baby but I want advice before I go through with anything. Im bipolar and people keep telling me there is this huge risk for postpartum depression and I dont know whether to worry about it or just ignore it. Maybe someone can help me out.

So don't go getting yourself pregnant on purpose.... I read your other thread first, thankfully.

Are you on medication? Are you taking it? Have you spoken to your mother, doctor, therapist, boyfriend, any other adult about this?

Welcome to the board Babygurl~ Y have come to the right place to see the reality and facts of how difficult it is to be a single mother. Please don't get upset with some of the remarks. We are all 'real' here. We want to help you and assist you in making the right decisions...

Babygurl - You are just that, a Baby Girl. You are 18, EIGHTEEN!!! My thoughts are that you must feel empty, you must long for unconditional love and meaning in life.

Sweetie - I was almost in tears when I read your post.

About me: I am a single mother of 2 children with 2 fathers. I have never been married. At 21, I was in a serious relationship with my sons father and thought I wanted to be with him forever. I allowed myself to get pregnant thinking I would marry him. After I had my son, reality set in, his father would never change. He was and is an alcoholic and an addict.

Still hadn't learned my lesson... Dated my daughters father for a few months. Took an antibiotic, was pregnant, again, without being married at 23. Surprise, surprise, He didn't respect me, resented me and our relationship crumbled.

I am 27 now. I have a 5.5 yr old son and a 2.5 yr old daughter. I work full time. I also go to school. I am finally at the point of analyzing my past and my past decisions. How could I have allowed myself to get pregnant without being married? Not just once but twice? I had low self esteem, very insecure, felt very alone. In my family and town, my actions were acceptable. I never realized Wow - what did I do??

My point is BG, there is so much more to life that you have not experienced! I love my children and am very happy to have them. I look back on what I missed, college, real love, getting married, becoming financial stable. It has been a long difficult road. My son is always with me, he doesn't have a male role model in his life. That is my fault! Nobody elses.. We have necessities = roof over our head, clothing, food. But I am not able to provide for them like I would have had I been married and in a stable relationship.

Please reconsider your decision. Feel free to pm me anytime! Think about visiting a counselor. You are a beautiful girl and there is so many opportunities for you if you stop ignoring them. Please, please reconsider. Don't intentionally strip yourself of the experiences of life. Don't intentionally get pregnant when you certainly are still a baby yourself....

My prayers go out to you...

Um, I second that. I didn't read your other post but from what I gathered you are 18, want a child, and nothing once was meantioned about a father or male-figure head. I am not going to speculate on the actually story because my brain would actually create a situation that fits that is so far off Pluto would seem next door.

I agree 110% with Melissa, really think things through. I had children when I 23 so I wasn't in some of the emotional stress that some people like Melissa went through, but I can tell you that my EX was young (4 years younger) and she blamed me for ruining her life in the back of her head. What I was ready for, she wasn't but she thought she was and still knows today she isn't but pretends to be.

I want you to know that no matter what you think, it is not about changing diapers, feeding, sleeping, and devoting time. It is a lifetime commitment that you can never change. Once you take on this commitment, you can't go back. You have the next 12 years to become a mother safely without risks (Over 30 I heard rumors you start to decline in the chance you can get pregnant, but the women here would know more about that then a nieve guy like myself).

God gave us life so we can enjoy it. Yes, life has its complications which seem to throw themselves in our faces everyday, but without them life wouldn't be interesting and fun. You couldn't respect the good without knowing the bad. How would a woman TRUELY respect an honorable man who takes care of her physically, emotionally, and spiritually if she never experienced the type of man who didn't care one way or another? You can say you would easily, but without knowing you really can't honestly say.

Go experience life first, that is what we are telling you. You have money? Go see the world on a massive road trip! You don't, then wy are you planning on having a child? You don't want to bring a child in this world to satisfy loneliness because a child is exactly that, a child who can not understand nor comprehend life until WE teach him ir her about life. You will feel compelled to human companionship your own age without or without a child, probably more with though. I enjoy my job more then ever because I can talk to men and women who can talk back, understanding my words. Going to Wal-mart or ACME is a treat rather then a hassle, because you have the opportunity to be out in the public.

The simple things we took for granite become more important to us now that we can see from a different point of view. Trust us, enjoy life and wait until the man who sweeps you off your feet comes along (Not the accident prone janitor with a broom though).