Lena had always dreamed of becoming a mother. So when she found out she was pregnant by a man she’d spent only a single night with, she didn’t panic or fall apart—she was genuinely happy.
She told him right away. His response was blunt: he wasn’t ready to be a father and had no intention of supporting the child financially. Of course, she could have gone to court and demanded child support, but Lena didn’t want to. She didn’t need that man in their lives, and she calmly decided she would manage on her own. She would raise the baby by herself.
Lena’s mother strongly disagreed. In her opinion, a child should grow up in a complete family.
“Mom, I’m already twenty-eight,” Lena said. “Maybe I’ll never have that kind of family. And by the way—you raised me without a father too.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” her mother snapped. “You did have a father.”
“He left when I was five, and after that I saw him only a couple of times a year.”
Her mother went quiet. To her, it wasn’t the same at all. She didn’t want her daughter to go through the same pain she had. But Lena believed her child could still be happy even without a father nearby.
Lena’s friends were shocked too.
“How are you going to carry all of this alone?” Natasha asked. “Even with a husband I can barely cope, and we’re always short on money. File for child support!”
“I don’t want to,” Lena said stubbornly. “I don’t need that man. I’ll save up, work from home, and I’ll handle it.”
“Everyone says that,” Natasha scoffed. “And then they cry later. Think again.”
But Lena didn’t waver. She loved her future baby more than anything and truly believed she could do it—for his sake, for her happiness.
When Lena came home from the maternity hospital with little Yaroslav, only her mother and Natasha met her.
Natasha brought flowers and hurried off, saying she had to get back quickly before her husband realized she’d been busy.
Lena’s mother came up to the apartment, stayed about an hour, then left. She didn’t seem joyful about the grandson and didn’t rush to help, convinced Lena had made the wrong choice.
In the beginning, Lena enjoyed motherhood. Yaroslav was a calm baby: he slept a lot and cried rarely.
At first, money seemed manageable. Lena didn’t spend on extras. She bought a stroller secondhand, got a crib from an acquaintance, and the clothes were gifts too. She barely bought anything at all.
Life even seemed fairly simple. Sure, there were nights when she’d be rocking him for two hours—but that didn’t feel like the end of the world.
Her mother hardly came by. And when she did, she didn’t help. One day, when Lena asked her to take Yaroslav for a walk, her mother answered:
“I’m not going to be your nanny! My legs hurt, and pushing a stroller is hard for me.”
Lena fell silent and said she would manage herself.
Natasha called mostly to check whether Lena was “cracking.”
“So, are you okay? I know how hard kids are—bet you’re going crazy from sleepless nights.”
“I’m fine,” Lena replied. “I sleep six or seven hours, so I’m coping.”
Natasha didn’t believe her, but she didn’t offer help either. Her own child was almost two, and still she never once suggested stepping in.
Lena didn’t dwell on it. Yes, it was hard sometimes, but overall it was much better than she’d expected.
But as Yaroslav grew, the problems grew too. He began sleeping badly and waking up often at night. There were nights when he didn’t sleep at all.
When he started crawling, Lena realized her life would never be the same.
He hated the stroller and often cried outside. Lena tried to get him used to it, but quickly gave up and carried him instead.
The biggest issue became money. Her savings weren’t enough. The maternity benefits were small, and expenses kept rising.
When her milk dried up, Lena switched to formula—and it was expensive. Luckily, she soon began introducing solid foods as well.
Yaroslav grew fast, and the hand-me-down clothes no longer fit. She had to buy new ones.
Rent, food, transportation—everything demanded money.
Lena started taking side work. She tried to work a couple of hours a day at the computer, but it always dragged on. Yaroslav hated when his mom couldn’t give him full attention.
There was still no help. On top of that, his teeth started coming in, and he suffered badly from the pain.
Lena was struggling—she was starved for adult conversation. Natasha came by only once in six months, and even then it felt more like an inspection than a visit.
On a walk one day, Lena met her neighbor Nika. Nika had a daughter who slept peacefully during walks, while Yaroslav could only be soothed in Lena’s arms.
Nika smiled and told her that her older child had been just as fussy. But with her daughter, everything turned out easier.
Nika also had a loving husband and stable finances. Sometimes Lena caught herself thinking her mother had been right: this was far harder than she’d imagined.
At some point, Lena simply broke. After a night when Yaroslav didn’t sleep at all, she understood she needed at least a little rest—just enough to breathe.
When the formula ran out and the money was down to almost nothing, Lena bundled Yaroslav up and went to the store. The baby cried nonstop.
When they returned home, he kept fussing, and Lena realized she couldn’t handle it anymore.
She called her mother and begged for help, but her mother refused. The weather was bad, and she “couldn’t deal with kids right now.”
Then Lena called Natasha and asked her to come for even an hour, but her friend said she couldn’t manage two children.
Lena felt completely alone. And in that moment, the phone rang.
“Hi—looks like we accidentally walked off with your toy at the playground. Want me to bring it over?”
It was Nika.
Lena exhaled and told her it was fine.
Nika arrived within minutes. She took one look at Lena’s face and understood everything.
“Go rest,” Nika said gently. “I’ll take Yaroslav for a couple of hours.”
Lena accepted with overwhelming gratitude.
After four hours of sleep and silence, Lena felt human again. Nika returned Yaroslav with a warm smile.
That was when Lena realized something important: with real support, you can survive anything. And she stopped thinking about giving up.
Later she told Nika everything—how her mother and her best friend had turned her away when she needed them most. Nika became her lifeline.
Yaroslav grew, and life gradually steadied. Lena could sleep again and earn money. Nika eventually moved to another city, but they stayed in touch. Lena never forgot that day—when the people closest to her turned away, and a neighbor reached out a hand.