Mandy had just graduated college, was in a long distance relationship, and was teaching math at a Title I middle school in Idaho through Teach For America when she was shocked to find out she was pregnant—despite having an IUD.
The months that followed before the birth of her son were a whirlwind of major life changes. She had a pretty standard hospital induction and a healthy birth with an epidural and only 30 minutes of pushing. Mandy faced an oversupply and became a breastmilk donor. With her doctor’s guidance, Mandy decided to try the IUD again and this time, the IUD punctured her uterus leading to surgery at 10 weeks postpartum.
Especially living in Chicago, a city where many people don’t become parents until their mid-thirties, Mandy often finds being a young mother isolating. Mandy hopes her story will reach other young mothers or mothers with unplanned pregnancies who need to hear a story like hers. She also hopes to start a conversation about how we talk about birth control and birth control efficacy statistics.
Mandy Davis Bio
Mandy lives in Chicago with her partner and their 16-month-old son. For his day job, he does digital consulting to help make federal government websites and services more user-friendly. Mandy loves the outdoors, running, and discovered the joys of rock climbing after becoming a mother. Mandy is very grateful for green spaces throughout the city and the Chicago Public Library. Mandy recently won a Moth StorySLAM and is excited to grow as a storyteller and writer. You can connect with him at LinkedIn or email her at mandydavi3 [at] gmail [dot] com.
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