AMA: How to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students with Katie Forbes

Katie Forbes was 39-weeks pregnant with her son when she was tackling finals as a college junior. Now a full-time working mama with a 1-year-old by her side, Katie is passionate about equipping her community to support pregnant and parenting students.

In the U.S. today, there are 2.7 million parenting students pursuing higher education. And that number doesn’t even include students who are expecting.

As fellow classmates, teachers, parents, and academic administrators, we need to be ready to empower pregnant and parenting students to not only survive, but thrive as well.

In this episode, we asked Katie to share her inspiring story and insights in the hopes of equipping the #standbyher community to transform the culture on campus and be there for students when it matters most.

We challenge you to take 3 steps to #standbyher in the academic space, during quarantine, and beyond.

• Stay connected to pregnant women and single moms you know. 
• Increase awareness of Title IX, and the protections in place for pregnant and parenting students.  
• Encourage her with a Stand By Her Card.

Here’s a glimpse of the episode.

[14:14] What was going on in your life 1 year ago today? 
[18:44] How is unplanned pregnancy viewed in academic circles? What was it like walking around campus with a pregnant belly?
[21:39] When you found out you were pregnant, what were some of the biggest concerns you had about your future?
[23:14] Tell us about Title IX: what does this provision mean for students who get pregnant? Why is it important to get the word out about this federal protection?
[28:14] How do we support people who are facing unplanned pregnancy on our campuses? Are there things we can be doing to let the people in our lives know in advance that we’ll be there for them? 
[32:09] What was the least empowering thing someone said to you during your pregnancy? And what was the most empowering thing someone said to you in that season? 
[34:54] How did the people closest to you respond to the news? How did your parents respond? How did your ex-boyfriend respond? 
[42:44] As we prepare to write Stand By Her Cards, what would you recommend we write to the pregnant women and single moms we know?
[45:34] How do you think the pandemic is affecting pregnant women and single moms? What can we do to help?
[52:14] Did you ever experience pregnancy discrimination while you were in school? If so, how did you handle that?
[56:34] How do you think the culture needs to change in how it thinks about pregnant and parenting students? And how do you think we can change that perception?
[1:08:44] How is life different from how you thought it would be when you first found out about your pregnancy?
[1:11:44] Anthony is almost 1 year old. How do you hope your story will affect how he sees himself and the world?

As a community, we need to change the way our world sees pregnant and parenting students, until motherhood and academic achievement become so familiar with each other that no one doubts they’re meant to be.

Click here to watch!

Links mentioned in this episode: 

• Stand By Her Cards
• When Life Gets Bumpy – Katie Forbes
• Title IX: Surprising things you didn’t know about getting pregnant in college
• Confessions of a pregnant and parentings student, and how you can help!
• Your girlfriend tells you she’s pregnant–now what?

Encourage moms in your community with a Card

Drop a Stand By Her Card in the mail to show you love her, believe in her, and support her. 100% of profits and donations from these cards fund scholarships and relief for pregnant women and single moms.