I totally understand the urge to have a baby at a young age, and I do not want to be rude, but WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?

Yes, many people have kids in their teens and they make it work. But you'll be giving yourself and your baby (or babies) a MUCH better life if you get your degree, get a steady job, save up as much money as you can, and have some more life experiences - not going out to party every weekend (unless you're into that), but maybe travel a bit, learn a new language or craft... explore your own potential so that when you do have a baby you can offer him or her a wider world than you could right now.

At the very least, look around at different 'preparing for baby' forums before you try to conceive. Take a look at the lists of things that you need just for the first few months, and how much they might cost. Find out how expensive it is to have prenatal visits and give birth at a hospital (my OB charges $5K just for her presence at the birth, and the hospital stay is in the $10-20K range. So make sure you have good insurance, too!) Calculate how much doctor's visits for your child will be throughout his or her life. These are not things you want to skip to save money. And let me just note: it is completely unfair to rely on your family or government handouts to provide you with this care. Yes, it's nice that those safety nets are there for unplanned pregnancies, but it is both SELFISH and IRRESPONSIBLE to take advantage of them because you feel like having a baby even though you're not financially ready for one. Period. If you're not grown up enough to buy your own health insurance you are sure as hell not grown up enough to plan to have a baby.

Basic medical care, clothing, diapers and food cost A LOT of money, and they are just the barest necessities. Aren't you going to want to spend on trips to the zoo, toys, maybe music lessons or sports team dues, education? Save for your own retirement so your kids don't have to support you in old age? What if your baby is sick and needs frequent trips to the hospital? Or an expensive operation? It's not all about money either - sure, you can work 80 hours a week to make ends meet, but are you going to have time to bond with your child, read to him or her, etc? These are the things that I think about. I don't want to give my child the bare minimum, I want to give him or her as many opportunities as I can, and I'm sure you do too. That means waiting until you're old enough to know what opportunities are out there and have the resources to provide them.

I know the biological urge to have a baby is so strong, but in this world it takes more than that to give your baby the best that you can. For god's sake, take the time to do some research before making such a life-changing decision. Sorry for the rant, but some of you seem to be out of touch with reality.