Ten years ago, if a young woman was pregnant by the age of 19 years old, she was denigrated by her community. Strangers judged her, her friends talked about her and family members expressed disappointment in her. Ten years ago, we were what many would call "old fashioned." We stood by the traditional way of doing things i.e. no children out of wedlock or no children under the age of 25.

Fortunately, we now face an immense amount of societal pressure which forces us to adapt to current times. Now some strangers might still have their opinions and there will always be a few outliers in our family and friends, but what is important is that those dearest to her are much more supportive than back then.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014 the teen (ages 15-19 years old) pregnancy rate in the US fell by nine percent since the previous year, which was one of few historic lows for the country. Although the U.S. teen birth rate is substantially higher than other western industrialized nations, the U.S. is still much more financially stable than these countries and more prepared to accommodate this level procreation.

While contraceptives are available and are obviously one of the reasons we see such a decrease in teen pregnancies, they are not always 100 percent effective. To prepare, there are more parenting courses available that provide information to support younger mothers throughout this process.

Millennial mothers make up 22 percent of the mom population in the US and more and more brands are targeting this highly influential group. These brands are learning that the old stereotypes of young women becoming pregnant and dropping out of high school no longer stand. We are now seeing these women successfully graduating with outstanding awards, while being a full-time parent.

23-year-old Annisa Brown from Brooklyn, NY shared her excitement, not only to meet her first baby in August, but to begin her last year of college in the Spring of 2017.

"I want to finish school so bad," she added, when asked to share some of her concerns as a new mother. "...and I am going back to school, but first I want to give my baby a happy home so that I can focus on school and not overthink about her safety."

There are many young women with a lack of support system through this journey and after hearing some of the stressors, Annisa was kind enough to share and how supportive her boyfriend is through this journey. I also learned how to better support a younger family member of mine in the same predicament. "Being pregnant can be very stressful, emotional and so needy as well as being insecure," was Anissa's testament to newly pregnant young women that are about to embark on their journey.

It's also quite easy to overlook their journey as young mothers if you haven't experienced being pregnant. "This is the first time I'm ever telling anyone this. I hate being pregnant," she began, filled with tears.

"I'm in love with the baby that's growing inside of me because I know that's God's greatest gift to me. It gets overwhelming sometimes. My body changes a lot. I've gotten so fat. I don't even feel like myself anymore. For the first time in my life I feel so ugly all because I'm pregnant. I've been laughed at to the point where I start to feel insecure about myself. I still thank God everyday for this wonderful blessing because I know this part is only temporary. I know my baby is going to love me more than anyone else. She's going to give me so much peace and happiness..."

Annisa also shared that the most important supporter is usually the father of your child or your significant other. "I love the man that is fathering my child," she added. "He has shown me so much love; he tells me that I'm beautiful to the point where I don't even care what anyone else has to say."

Annisa's story makes it clear that there is no such thing as too many supporters, so reach out to the young mothers you may know and let them know that you're there.