As the communication sciences and disorders students straggle out of phonetics class on Tuesday, junior Sarah Eggleston was easy to pick out. Of all of the students, she was the only one pushing a stroller.
Eggleston's daughter, Joyce, was born in April. When most of her peers were overwhelmed about finals, Eggleston worried about the impending arrival of her baby girl on top of exams.
“We didn’t plan it (the pregnancy), we didn’t anticipate it,” Eggleston said after checking on Joyce sleeping in the stroller next to her. “We ultimately decided that this was a good thing. It wasn’t planned, but she is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Eggleston continued with school up until the end of her pregnancy and completed her finals aside from one she waited to take during this semester. Toward the end of her pregnancy, she balanced an hour and a half commute to and from school as well as a doctor’s appointment once a week.
She said the love and fortitude of her parents and Joyce’s father, long-time boyfriend Jacob Wood, allowed her to continue taking classes.
“(Wood is) incredibly supportive and helpful with allowing me to focus on school work while he watches her,” she said. “His mother and step-mother, as well as my mother, are great about watching her as well.”
Despite her own acceptance and ultimate excitement about her pregnancy, Eggleston said not everyone she encountered felt the same way.
“Some of my friends have kind of just dropped off the map since they found out I was pregnant and definitely since I’ve had Joyce,” Eggleston explained.
She also said she received many “strange and disapproving” looks while pregnant, as she was still a teenager at the time. Eggleston disagreed with the stereotype that goes along with teenage pregnancy.
“There are plenty of teenage moms … that love their child the same and provide just as much,” she said.
Eggleston now lives off-campus with Joyce and Wood, and the couple hasn't slept through a full night since entering parenthood. Nevertheless, Eggleston still manages to maintain a normal course load and almost never misses classes.
While her college experience differs from the norm, Eggleston said she doesn’t mind. She may have never joined a sorority, gone to parties or taken part in any extracurriculars, but she values putting her time into someone else.
“I’d rather put my time into my daughter now,” Eggleston said.
She said she’s surrounded by family and friends who love her, happy that her daughter has these people around her as well.
“It takes a village when women are younger and have children. To me, that’s perfectly fine. It provides my daughter with more exposure to different types of people, more scenarios, and she has more people that love her,” said Sarah.
Eggleston found that raising her daughter has been just as much of a learning experience as the classroom.
“It’s incredibly satisfying to watch Joyce grow and learn new things. She’s incredibly attentive and curious.” Eggleston paused, searching for the right words. “I feel whole and I didn’t realize I didn’t before. I have a boyfriend who I love and an amazing daughter.”
Sarah Eggleston took a break from classes to take care of her daughter, Joyce Wood. She balances the responsibilities of being a student and being a mother on a daily basis.
Sarah Eggleston took a break from classes to take care of her daughter, Joyce Wood. She balances the responsibilities of being a student and being a mother on a daily basis.
