A young mother has not let her pregnancy stop her from finding love after her boyfriend dumped her months before her due date because he ‘suddenly decided’ he wasn’t ready for children.
Megan Dowling was single again just 19 weeks into her pregnancy, but decided to take to dating apps after realizing she “deserved love” just as much as the next person.
The 24-year-old, from Georgia in the US, admitted her dating tactics can be ‘unconventional’ but was inspired after watching a TV show about pregnant women dating and receiving compliments from men on Instagram.
After a little research, Megan discovered that many moms-to-be are on the dating scene, so she decided to take the plunge and downloaded Hinge.
Megan Dowling, 24, didn’t let her pregnancy stop her from finding love online after her partner left her four months before her due date.
Megan’s partner left her when she was 19 weeks pregnant, but she came back from her break and wasted no time getting on the dating scene.
“Your child deserves a mother full of happiness and joy,” she said.
“Sure, be safe and make sure you’re still guarding your heart and protecting your peace — but just because you’re pregnant, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.”
Megan became pregnant with her ex-partner just nine months into their relationship and said she was ‘very heartbroken’ when their relationship ended but has since bounced back.
“Thankfully, I have such a great support system that lifted me up and I was able to get through it quickly,” she said.
“I’ve always been one to not stress about things I can’t control – I still contact my ex and let him know about my pregnancy.
Megan said she was sadder about bringing a child into a ‘broken home’ than the breakdown of the relationship.
The 24-year-old, from Georgia in the US, said that while her dating tactics may be ‘unconventional’ she ‘deserves love’ just as much as the next person.
Megan gave birth to her daughter, Meadow, on September 27, and while the little one’s biological father may not be there to support her, she may soon have a stepfather.
Seven months into her pregnancy, Megan met a man on Hinge who rushed to be by her side the day after she gave birth to Meadow.
Megan said the 43-year-old is ‘extremely supportive’ and they will continue their relationship day-to-day as she navigates her new life as a mother.
“I never imagined that I would be able to find such a genuine person in my situation. He has helped me a lot and made me feel loved,” she said.
“I don’t want to force him to take care of someone else’s child, but he also knows that comes with dating me.”
Her new boyfriend has children of his own, so she understands how difficult pregnancy and motherhood can be, according to Megan.
“He constantly reassures me that everything is going to be okay, which is nice to hear when sometimes it feels like it’s not,” she said.
“He never lets me open a door, he cooks a few nights a week, checks on me when I can see I’m uncomfortable and is currently bringing me breakfast at the hospital as it’s late.”
Megan said she hopes her story will inspire other single pregnant women like the ones she found inspired her.
‘My dating profile looked like any other! I had photos of myself, updated of course, but only selfies,” she said.
“The only difference is that I listed as having a baby when of course I’m very pregnant.”
Megan gave birth to her daughter on September 27, and while the little one’s biological father may not be around to support her, she may have a stepfather once she finds a new husband.
The topic of mothers-to-be logging into dating apps had hundreds of shares and caused a stir online.
Some felt that it was ‘inappropriate’ for women who were about to give birth to enter the dating scene and that they should ‘keep quiet’.
‘For a relationship? It’s uncomfortable and gives you insight into who they are,” said one Redditor.
One man said he would never date someone who was pregnant or had a baby: ‘When I was online dating, I hid people with babies in the search filters and if they were pregnant I would quickly swipe left.’
However, most were on board with the idea with one saying: ‘I can’t get her pregnant again, 10/10 she’d be devastated.’
‘Everybody needs love, who cares? If you don’t like it, don’t swipe,” someone added.
“Some people weren’t in a relationship to begin with, it might have been an unintended pregnancy and the other party isn’t involved or maybe they plan to co-parent but aren’t in a relationship. The same situation with divisions, – called another.
“Some people want children and are okay with doing it themselves, and don’t want to wait for a relationship to get to that point. There are many reasons to get pregnant on a dating app,” they continued.
One woman said she divorced her husband while she was pregnant and didn’t wait long to get back on the apps.
“I waited to start Tinder until six weeks postpartum, but I could totally understand why someone would put themselves out there sooner. “Pregnancy hormones definitely affect libido,” she said.
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