Aged 18 and getting ready to sit her Leaving Cert, Emma Doran’s world came crashing down when she discovered she was pregnant. In an extract from her new memoir, she recalls the whirlwind of emotions she experienced, from shame to denial, and how she broke the news to her mum in a letter
Heading back to school this year felt exciting. It was our final year and we were so close to being free. Myself and a few of my friends were prefects. ‘Prefects’ sounds like something a posh school would get up to, which Sancta Maria College was not.
Since returning from Wexford I’d felt a bit off. At first, I thought it was just being back under surveillance, but something was telling me otherwise. Adding to my concerns was the fact that I’d gotten my period but it was early, very light, and dark in colour. A tight knot was starting to develop in the pit of my stomach. I’d remembered Michelle Doran in school telling us her mam had gotten her period while pregnant with her.