The story Prenatal surrounds a teenage girl’s struggles throughout her pregnancy. Charlie, the pregnant teen, constantly hears her baby in her stomach talk to her. The voice she hears may not actually be her baby. In fact it can actually just be Charlie’s mind with conflicting thoughts, and in this case the author effectively separates these conflicting thoughts by giving the unborn baby a sense of knowledge and different bias. Unlike many, Charlie is one of the pregnant teens trying stay in school during her pregnancy to graduate from high school. Often times throughout the story, Charlie is harshly judged by all the students she encounters except for the Christian clique in her school. She even thinks about having an abortion for a short period. The author also puts a slight emphasis on the reaction of Charlie’s father to her pregnancy. Not only does the author highlight the emotional journey during Charlie’s pregnancy but also the physical parts including her clothing size change, regular check-ups with the doctor, and the space provided for the baby to be born. In the beginning of her pregnancy Charlie’s marks were above average, but with the all the judgemental people and her thoughts, or the thoughts of the fetus, her marks began to drop. Her parents are rarely home enough to have a normal healthy relationship with her so this may have also played a role in causing her “postpartum depression”, as the author states.
I personally like this short story because the author makes use of an unconventional way of bringing up the issues of teenage pregnancy. The author allows the reader to see from the pregnant teen’s mind. Throughout the story there is a theme of love. Even though it is very difficult for Charlie’s father to accept his daughter’s pregnancy, he is still willing to accept the fact that he is going to be a grandfather soon and mentions that the baby can have the guest room. This in my opinion is an example of the unconditional love the father has for Charlie. I know of people from high school that are teen moms and they experienced the same harsh judgements others give them. This short story simply shines a light on the bitter truth of how others perceive teenage pregnancy. I take more of an interest in stories that have a deeper meaning behind it and evidently, this is what has drawn me
