Kamilah’s Story

Kamilah is excited about her future! She graduated from Marine Leadership Academy in June and will be starting at Truman College this fall. She said becoming a mom changed her life for the better and that, “New Moms has really helped in a lot of ways.”

Before coming to New Moms, Kamilah was having trouble in school. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she also experienced depression and felt angry being stuck at home. She said she had a negative attitude and often acted out. However, that all “went away” when she became pregnant. She said she developed more maturity and motivation when she found out she was going to be a mom.

Kamilah partnered with New Moms when she was four months pregnant with her son Hugo. She was paired with Tia, a doula (or birth coach), to help her through the final stages of her pregnancy and prepare for labor. Simultaneously, she started working with Precious, a family support coach, to help her in other areas of life. She said her coaches, especially Precious, have become like family.

“We low-key created a bond with her,” said Kamilah, who is 18 years old. “She makes sure the baby is developed. She brings books, diapers, and everything to make sure that we have enough.”

Kamilah said Precious helped keep her on track in school – checking her grades and helping her find opportunities to complete her service hour requirement for graduation. Precious also helped Kamilah fill out her FAFSA so she could afford to go to college. Kamilah was awarded two scholarships and plans to take cosmetology classes so she can open her own salon. Later this summer, Kamilah and her boyfriend will be moving into their first apartment, and they are both excited to create a home for their young family.

“New Moms does a good job of making you feel like family but also putting pressure on you and motivating you,” Kamilah said.

Although the first steps of motherhood are hard, Kamilah wants to let other moms know that they “still need to move past it.”

“It takes a lot of time but that doesn’t mean you should give up,” Kamilah said. “Because every day you’re going to wake up with your son or your daughter and they’re going to be smiling at you. And it kind of gives you some hope. You just want to do everything you can for them. So just don’t give up on what you want.”