Megan Dowling, a 24-year-old new mom from Atlanta, Georgia, has found love again after being left by the baby’s father when she was 19 weeks pregnant.
Dowling, a hairstylist, has been dating someone new for two months and she said he’s ready to be her baby’s stepdad. She gave birth to her daughter Meadow on September 27 and met her boyfriend, 43, when she was 7 months pregnant.
“I know dating while pregnant is unconventional, but you deserve love just as much as the next person,” she told Caters News.
“Your baby deserves a mama who is full of happiness and joy. Of course, be safe and make sure you’re still guarding your heart and protecting your peace — but just because you’re pregnant, it does not mean you’re undeserving,” she added.
Dowling said she met her former partner in 2022 after her friend invited her to his birthday dinner party and the pair hit it off.
Dowling became pregnant nine months into the relationship and he left her after she got pregnant because he wasn’t ready for kids.
“I was extremely heartbroken, at first, but thankfully, I have such a great support system who lifted me up and I was able to move past it quickly,” she said.
“I’ve always been one to not stress over things I can’t control — I still reach out to my ex and update him on my pregnancy,” she continued.
She said the hardest part about her breakup has been bringing her baby into a “broken home.”
And then something unexpected happened — she started getting lots of attention from men while her baby bump was growing.
“I started receiving so many compliments from guys on Instagram and was shocked,” she shared.
She thought about the possibility of dating again and an old TV show inspired her to get back into the dating pool.
“Then I came across an old TV series, ‘Pregnant and Dating.’ I tried to find more on TikTok and blogs about other women, but there’s not much out there,” she said.
“Since then, I’ve discovered that a lot of pregnant women do date but they’re just embarrassed to talk about it,” she added.
She’s sharing her story so other pregnant women without a spouse can get the confidence they need to find new love.
“My dating profile looked just like any other! I had photos of myself, updated of course, but just selfies,” she added.
She said since she was “very pregnant” during her dating search, she listed she had children on her profile. She met her new boyfriend on the dating app Hinge.
“I never imagined I would actually be able to find such a genuine person in my situation,” she said.
“He’s helped me so much and has made me feel loved. My mom loves him just as much as me, and I can’t wait to see what our future holds,” she said of her new beau.