“My thought process was that it was a joke and what I was seeing was not real. I just hid the test and tried to block it out of my head.” Cadynce Richmond discovered she was pregnant at the beginning of September her junior year, right before her family vacation to South Carolina. 

On May 6, 2022, LSE senior Richmond gave birth to a six-pound baby boy whom she named Daxton. 

When pregnant Richmond was soon faced with the reality, constantly facing morning sickness. 

“It was definitely hard, especially with the morning sickness at the beginning when I first got pregnant,” Richmond said. 

Moreover, despite facing constant morning sickness, she missed lots of school, but stayed focused and determined to graduate from high school.

“It was definitely [hard] to stay focused and focusing on myself and the future for the baby,” Richmond said. “It was a lot of teaching myself the things I missed, with lots of determination.” 

Due to her frequent absences from school, her parents became suspicious after finding the test in her room. 

“I didn’t tell anyone, not even my boyfriend the first four months … I was terrified,” Richmond said. “Once everyone found out, [they were] super supportive– my boyfriend’s family, my family and my boyfriend.”  

Both families are now providing great support to Daxton, helping with expenses as well as taking care of him at night. 

“Our parents were very, very helpful with buying the furniture and stuff. Him and I would buy like the clothes and the toys,” Richmond said. 

Currently, Richmond is a lifeguard at Madonna and teaches piano lessons, while still attending school.

“[Daxton] goes to an in-home daycare while I’m at school and then. After daycare closes, our parents will watch him on nights that we work,” Richmond said. 

On May 6, 2022, Richmond went into labor for 13 hours with no complications.

“I was very grateful for that [short labor time] and all my doctors and nurses were super nice and not like super judgy, because my boyfriend and I were so young,” Richmond said. 

Following this obstacle, Richmond could watch him grow up and experience the most rewarding part of this experience. 

“He just started walking which was super early … but watching him just develop over time and he just started clapping and the new noises he starts making,”Richmond said.

Now Richmond has a new future in mind. She plans on going to Bryan College of Health Sciences for nursing school.

“I’m kind of excited to see like the point of view of the doctors feeling like I’ve been in that situation too,” Richmond said. 

Her Instagram post of the birth received over 4,000 likes, and Richmond has now become more open about the pregnancy. Overall though, through these trials and tribulations, Richmond has remained optimistic. 

“Personally it can be hard on me as well just because I had to grow up faster than everyone else, especially my friends, and I had to mature a lot faster. I have to think about not just myself but my baby too, in my actions,” Richmond said. 

Furthermore, she is very grateful for the overwhelming support she has received from her family, her boyfriend’s family, her teachers and from her counselor.

“All of them have made my experience a lot less stressful and always made sure I am understood and getting everything I need,” Richmond said.