Getting pregnant is not trivial when you’re in high school. This is what Christelle experienced who had to stop this study. Today, she is the mother of a two-year-old boy and lives in the Fontaine d’Ouche district in Dijon.
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It’s the same ritual every morning. It is 7:30 am. Christelle Ngoma, 22, wakes up Mason, her two-year-old boy. After washing, the young mother gives him her bottle. Then head to the Fontaine d’Ouche nursery in Dijon where Mason spends the day. “We are set by the watch. Whatever you’re going to do, it’s gonna be depending on your son ” says Christelle.
Since September 2020, Mason has been spending his days at the Fontaine d’Ouche nursery in Dijon.“He is happy to go to nursery! At least there, he plays with his friends ” explains Christelle. The young mother does not hide the fact that the nursery also allows her to forget her role as mother for a few hours. “When he is at the nursery, there you are no longer a mother. You become a mother again when you pick him up at 5:00 pm ”.
Drop out of school to give birth
Christelle becomes pregnant at the age of 19 in the middle of a final year. Her pregnancy is not easy. The dad is present at his side. But the young woman quickly notices that the situation is difficult to reconcile with the pursuit of her studies. She decides to go see the principal of her establishment to stop her education. Initially, its educational path is adapted. Christelle receives correspondence courses but her state of health worsens. She made several stays at the CHU. She is forced to stop her schooling and cannot take the baccalaureate exams. “I had to stop a lot of things”.
After giving birth in April 2019, Christelle tries to resume her studies at the MFR, the Rural Family House. This associative structure trains young people with a view to their professional integration. Christelle quickly realizes that the task will not be so simple. “It doesn’t fit into the boxes. With the child and the schedules, it will not work ”. Considering that two years later, Mason is older and that he is in the nursery, Christelle does not give up. She is currently preparing for training as a medical secretary which will then enable her to have a job.
A mother always in touch with her friends
Christelle is convinced that having a child at 19 should not prevent her from living her life. On a professional level, and on a personal level. While her little boy continues to play at the nursery, Christelle goes to see her friends Nemi and Mohamed. They consider them as brothers. Staying young and continuing to see her friends represents stability in her daily life as a mother. She therefore takes advantage of the sun to meet them at Place Darcy in Dijon. The fact that she became a mother did not affect her friendships. “I don’t necessarily look at his mom side. I mainly look at the person in himself ” explains Nemi. When they get together, Christelle and her friends go to a restaurant or a nightclub. “They are trying to get me out and make me forget the mom side”. This does not prevent the boys from having a nice bond with the child. “They are Mason’s tontons” exclaims Christelle. The young mother now wants to enjoy life and move forward in her projects as a youngster while remaining a mother. She therefore knows that she has to say goodbye to her friends because it is almost 5:00 p.m. It’s time to go get Mason from the cr7che.
With her experience as a young mother, Christelle advises young girls who are in the same situation as her. “You have to have confidence in yourself and tell yourself that having a child is not the end of the world”.
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