It was 18 months ago when 22-year-old Quinnipiac student, Kristin Romegialli’s regular nights of staying out late and waking up at noon unexpectedly came to an end. Nine months ago her daily wake-up time, schedule and social life would no longer be about her, but about Caden, the blonde hair, blue eyed boy she gave birth to.

“My social life has definitely taken the biggest impact,” said Romegialli, a senior sociology major. “I see my friends on his schedule now.”

It was around finals time when Romegialli first discovered she was pregnant. Stress levels were already high and she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. As an adopted child, Romegialli considered all her options and found herself in a dilemma incredibly close to home. Twenty two years ago, it was her birth mother’s decision to rule out the option of abortion. It was the love that she had already developed for the life growing inside her that rejected her own idea of adoption.

“I realized it was important that I make the decision on my own and take a look at the big picture. I knew once I saw him I wasn’t going to be able to let him out of my hands,” Romegialli said.

During the beginning of her pregnancy, Romegialli struggled with feelings of embarrassment, and the once extremely social college student began secluding herself.

“I was always afraid someone was going to notice. The first time someone out in public asked me when I was due, I went home and broke down on the floor of my room,” Romegialli said.

As her pregnancy progressed Romegialli began planning the changes she was going to need to make in her life, battling the fear of whether she would be a good mom and trying to figure out what would be best for her baby on the way.

“I never wanted to hear I wasn’t a good mom,” Romegialli said. “So I started reading pregnancy books and going to Lamaze classes with my mom.”

Now a senior balancing seven classes, an internship and a baby, Romegialli won’t deny that her typical four hours of sleep leaves her feeling tired, but she can’t get enough of her little boy.

“My mom has to remind me a lot that I have to give myself the chance to be independent from him, but I wish I could be around him 24/7, and it is hard to leave him,” Romegialli said.

Although her parents help her take care of Caden, Romegialli tries to be there for her son as much as she can by taking most of her classes two days a week. She has also directed her career path in the field of education so her schedule will be as similar to her sons as possible.

“Before Caden I wasn’t sure what I what I wanted to do with my major, now I want to get my masters and start working right away so I can take on full responsibility,” Romegialli said.

Grateful for her healthy baby and the chance she gave herself to think her decision through, Romegialli admits there are things she is missing out on, but every time she sees her baby, nothing else matters.