Yesi’s Story

The night before her high school graduation, Yesenia (who goes by Yesi) stayed up making graduation caps for herself and her son, Xadrian. Her pink cap was decorated with two baby photos of Xadrian and said, “Mommy did it!” while Xadrian’s smaller blue cap said, “Mami did it for me!

At the graduation ceremony, Yesi and Xadrian wore their matching cap and gowns to celebrate. Yesi said her son is the biggest reason she graduated from high school. She said he motivated her “to do better.”

“I was going through a hard time for a while and I kind of gave up on school but then I was like, ‘you know what, I got to go to school. I have to go somewhere after graduation,’” said Yesi, who is 18 years old. “I just had to put my mindset on school and finish it for my baby.”Yesi found out she was pregnant because she started feeling sick. At first, she was worried she had COVID-19 and went to the emergency room. However, when she was sent home, she took a pregnancy test which came back positive. She told her mom who then took her to the doctor for her first check-up.

She was referred to New Moms by her doctor and was paired with one of our Doulas, also known as birth coaches, during her pregnancy. After the birth of her son, Yesi started working with Precious, a New Moms Family Support Specialist (FSS). Yesi said Precious also helped motivate her to focus on school, sending her inspirational quotes and encouraging her to do her homework.

Yesi said she has learned a lot from New Moms especially about childhood development. She now knows what milestones Xadrian should reach as he grows which is really helpful. She enjoys sharing this knowledge with other moms and has even referred a friend to New Moms!

Throughout her pregnancy and parenthood journey, Yesi has had the support of her coaches, family, and partner. She wants other young moms to feel that same love that she’s felt.

“Know that you’re worth it,” Yesi said. “Even if you have a child, it doesn’t mean that you’ve ruined your life. You’re good.”

Now that she has graduated, Yesi is looking towards the future. She wants to become a real estate agent and eventually own her own home. She recently started a handmade jewelry business and is using her artistic abilities to make money and save for real estate license classes.