My Boyfriend Got Me Pregnant Again And Left

Summary

Podcast Summary: "My Boyfriend Got Me Pregnant Again And Left" – The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode Overview Released on May 28, 2025, The Ramsey Show Highlights episode titled "My Boyfriend Got Me Pregnant Again And Left" delves into a challenging personal crisis faced by a listener. The episode offers practical financial advice and emotional support, emphasizing resilience and strategic planning in the face of unexpected life changes.

Caller's Predicament

Introduction to the Situation At [00:06], a distressed caller shares her predicament:

"I've had a very stressful past week. I found out that I was pregnant with my second child, and my partner was just not ready to take on that responsibility, so he left."

She highlights her financial status, stating,

"I don't really have much debt. I just have a car payment, and now I'm just confused on where to go from here."

Financial Concerns Amidst Personal Crisis The caller initially focused on aggressively paying off her single debt using Dave Ramsey's debt snowball method, aiming to eliminate a $1,600 monthly car payment by the year's end. However, with an upcoming baby, she's uncertain whether to continue this strategy or shift her focus to saving for the new child.

Dave Ramsey's Strategic Advice

Shifting Priorities: From Debt to Cash Pile Dave Ramsey empathizes with the caller's situation and advises a crucial shift in financial strategy:

"No, it won't be. It won't be. That's not reasonable. You've got to take care of you and the baby as you progress in the early stages."

He recommends:

"Stop the baby steps, stop your debt snowball and pile up cash. So I want you to stack cash. I want you to get the biggest possible pile of cash you can get between now and baby. Treat it like you're paying off debt."

Ramsey suggests saving aggressively, estimating that the caller could accumulate between $15,000 and $20,000 by the baby's arrival by setting aside approximately $3,000 monthly for five months.

Ensuring Financial Safety Nets Ramsey underscores the importance of a solid financial foundation before the baby's arrival:

"You come home with a brand new, beautiful baby and you've got 15 or $20,000 in the bank."

He advises paying off existing debts with the accumulated cash once the immediate financial pressures ease:

"You write a check and pay off your debts and you finish. You start your baby steps again and you build your emergency fund."

Navigating Child Support and Legal Responsibilities Addressing the immediate need for financial support from the departing partner, Ramsey emphasizes understanding legal obligations:

"The law says you got responsibility. That's how this works."

He encourages the caller to:

1. Contact Human Services: To understand child support laws and ensure financial responsibility is met by the father.
2. Communicate with the Pastor: To seek emotional and community support through her new church.

Co-host’s Emotional Support and Encouragement

Building a Support System The co-host complements Ramsey’s advice by focusing on the emotional and community support the caller has:

"Do you have a good support system around you? Do you have family or anyone?"

Acknowledging her existing support networks, the co-host reinforces the idea that she is not alone:

"I have a church that I started going to and I also have like an international students group that I volunteer at. And while they're like little kids, they. They're like they feel like family."

Encouragement and Affirmation The co-host further uplifts the caller by acknowledging her strength and the challenges ahead:

"You're at the bottom of it emotionally, right? From a relationship breakup, the news of a pregnancy. I mean, you're... It's exhausting."

She assures the caller of her capabilities:

"But yeah, man, we run into single moms all the time on this show and it is incredible. Incredible what they do when they rise to the occasion. And you're gonna be that. You're a great mom already."

Detailed Financial Planning

Addressing Remaining Debt Ramsey revisits the caller's financial obligations, confirming her car payment status:

"How much do you have left on your car to pay off?" "Yeah. So I have 14,000."

He approves the caller's progress and reinforces the importance of the cash pile:

"By the time baby comes and when you come home, everything's good, you'll have this car paid off."

Maintaining Financial Discipline Post-Birth Ramsey advises maintaining financial discipline even after paying off debts:

"You're just doing the… We're just doing the hokey pokey a little bit. We're setting it to the side, and then we're gonna put the right foot in, then the left foot in. Right?"

This metaphor emphasizes the step-by-step approach to financial stability.

Final Words of Support and Actionable Steps

Ramsey concludes by providing actionable steps and ongoing support:

"You call that pastor today. You call Human Services and find out what your rights are on child support. Those are two calls you make today. And you start stacking cash."

He reinforces her inner strength:

"You're a lot stronger than your voice sounds right now. I can tell you."

Conclusion

In this episode, The Ramsey Show Highlights offers a compassionate and pragmatic approach to a listener's crisis involving unexpected pregnancy and relationship dissolution. Dave Ramsey and the co-host provide a balanced mix of financial strategies—shifting from debt repayment to building a cash reserve—and emotional support, emphasizing the importance of community and personal resilience. The episode serves as an empowering guide for individuals facing similar challenges, illustrating how structured financial planning and a solid support system can pave the way for overcoming adversity.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Caller at [00:06]: "I've had a very stressful past week. I found out that I was pregnant with my second child, and my partner was just not ready to take on that responsibility, so he left."
• Dave Ramsey at [02:28]: "So maybe you're going to have between 15 and $20,000 piled in an account. That gives me a lot more peace for you delivering this baby with a smile."
• Co-host at [05:05]: "Do you have a good support system around you? Do you have family or anyone?"
• Dave Ramsey at [06:02]: "I want you to go sit down with your pastor at the new church and with no shame, say, this is where I am."

Key Takeaways

• Financial Flexibility: Adjust financial plans in response to significant life changes.
• Building a Cash Reserve: Prioritize saving to create a financial cushion before major life events.
• Legal Responsibilities: Understand and assert legal rights regarding child support.
• Community Support: Leverage community and church support systems for emotional and practical assistance.
• Resilience and Strength: Emphasize personal strength and the ability to overcome adversity with the right strategies.

This episode exemplifies how The Ramsey Show blends financial wisdom with heartfelt support, providing listeners with both the tools and encouragement needed to navigate life's unexpected challenges.

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

Brought to you by the EveryDollar app. Start budgeting for free today.

[Caller]

I've had a very stressful past week. I found out that I was pregnant with my second child, and my partner was just not ready to take on that responsibility, so he left. The good news is that I don't really have much debt. I just have a car payment, and now I'm just confused on where to go from here. I started out with your debt snowball, and since I only have one thing, I was ready to, you know, attack it. Pay 1600amonth extra and wipe it out by the end of this year. But now, since the baby's coming, I don't know what to do. Do I still do that? Do I save for the baby? Like, what do I do at this point? I'm just so confused.

[Dave Ramsey]

I'm sorry, kiddo. How old are you?

[Caller]

32. So I feel like I'm too old to be having these problems.

[Dave Ramsey]

Who's the. Who's the dad of the other kid? Same guy.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

I'm sorry. Yes, you're first. So you have two children with the guy that left?

[Caller]

Well, yes, one. And then one baking in the other.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, that's what I mean. Okay, I count baking. Okay. All right. What do you make.

[Caller]

After taxes with no side hustles? It's 4,500amonth that I take home by myself. I started listening to your show a few months ago, so I started doing side hustles. Now I bring around, like, 5,500 home. I just don't know if that's sustainable long term as the pregnancy gets.

[Dave Ramsey]

No, it won't be. It won't be. That's not reasonable. You've got to take care of you and the baby as you progress in the early stages. You got to work around maybe morning sickness or something, but you can work for a while longer, but then you're going to run into this. So. No. What we teach folks to do when you have a baby on the way or you're facing some kind of a storm of some kind is stop the baby steps, stop your debt snowball and pile up cash. So I want you to stack cash. I want you to get the biggest possible pile of cash you can get between now and baby. Treat it like you're paying off debt.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

You got. Have you got health insurance?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. All right. So can you save $2,000 a month?

[Caller]

Definitely. I can definitely do that.

[Dave Ramsey]

What could you save? What's the most you could save.

[Caller]

With the side hustle? I think maybe like 2,800.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. I'm going to call it 3,000 for five months. That's 15 grand. And then it slows down to maybe 1,000amonth as you reach towards the delivery date. Okay. So maybe you're going to have between 15 and $20,000 piled in an account. That gives me a lot more peace for you delivering this baby with a smile.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Co-host]

You.

[Dave Ramsey]

Have. You got health insurance?

[Caller]

Yes. Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

Good. Okay, so you need to talk. Contact them and find out what your out of pocket is going to be for labor and delivery with your health.

[Co-host]

Insurance policy and with appointments, OB appointments and everything. Yeah, the whole thing.

[Dave Ramsey]

I want you to. I want you to have a baby budget. Okay. To get ready for that part of it. So here's what happens at the end of this story, and it's going to be a great story. At the end of the story, you come home with a brand new, beautiful baby and you've got 15 or $20,000 in the bank. You write a check and pay off your debts and you finish. You start your baby steps again and you build your emergency fund. And now you're a mama bear against the world. And you're going to be one of those warrior princesses that goes and makes things happen. As a single mom. You're a hero. You're a hero. You suck at picking men, but you're a hero.

[Co-host]

Or he. Or he sucks.

[Dave Ramsey]

No, he sucks. He sucks. But you picked him. Yeah. I mean, he's awful.

[Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Ramsey]

And besides that, I don't know the. I don't know the laws in Ohio, but most states have a law that if you make a baby, you get to help pay for it. Men. And so I'm going to go ahead and contact human services in your area and find out what we can do to get this deadbeat jerk to start writing checks for these two children.

[Co-host]

How old. How old's your first one?

[Caller]

He's 12 now.

[Co-host]

He's 12 years old.

[Dave Ramsey]

You've been with this guy 12 years?

[Caller]

14 years.

[Dave Ramsey]

Wow. Man, you're hard.

[Co-host]

That's. That's a. That's a grief in and of itself is a relationship. I mean, that's a. That's a divorce.

[Dave Ramsey]

So he did. He mentioned the fact that he needs to start writing checks to you for kids.

[Caller]

Well, he asked me how much money I want.

[Dave Ramsey]

I'll tell you how much money I want. I want a third of your salary.

[Caller]

To be honest, I. All of my emotions because this has been so shocking, because I had an iud, so I wasn't planning for this, all of my emotions have just been spent on, like, surviving and not dealing with him and.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, but at some point in this process, he gets to be the financial daddy, whether he wanted to be or not, because that's what the law says. And I don't know what child support ratios are in your state, but you need to find that piece of information out and you need to let him know that that piece of information is coming his way.

[Caller]

Gotta change it.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. Because I mean, if he, if he started writing you a check right now for three grand a month wouldn't make me mad. It helps these numbers, right?

[Caller]

It does. It definitely does.

[Co-host]

And how much?

[Dave Ramsey]

I don't want responsibility, so I'm leaving. Tough. But buddy, you made a baby. The law says you got responsibility. That's how this works.

[Co-host]

Do you have a good support system around you? Do you have family or anyone?

[Caller]

I have a church that I started going to and I also have like an international students group that I volunteer at. And while they're like little kids, they. They're like, they feel like family.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. Now, I want you to go sit down with your pastor at the new church and with no shame, say, this is where I am. And I just want to let you know I'm here trying to learn about God and start my life fresh spiritually, because this is a new church to me and I've got this situation with these two kids and I'm by myself. And I think you'll see if it's a decent church, and it probably is. You're going to see some wonderful people start putting their arms around you in a lot of different ways. But they won't do that if you don't tell them. Okay. They're not mind readers. I know you're going to be okay. As a matter of fact, you're going to be better than if this hadn't happened. You're going to be okay. You're stronger than you think you are right now.

[Co-host]

Yeah. You're at the bottom of it emotionally, right? From a relationship breakup, the news of a pregnant. I mean, you're. Yeah, you're at the. It's exhausting. I can only imagine. So it goes up from here. It really does. But yeah, man, we run into single moms all the time on this show and it is incredible. Incredible what they do when they rise to the occasion. And you're gonna be that. You're a great mom already. I mean, you have a 12 year old, so. Man, we were cheering for you. I did want to ask from a financial Standpoint. How much do you have left on your car to pay off? You said it's your only debt.

[Caller]

Yeah. So I have 14,000.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, perfect.

[Co-host]

Okay, that's great. Yeah. Because to the number, like a big.

[Caller]

Lump sum in it.

[Dave Ramsey]

No, no, no, no, no. I want you to pile up cash.

[Caller]

I know, but that was two months ago.

[Co-host]

She already did it. She already did it.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, you already put a lump sum on it? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you said you want to.

[Co-host]

Yeah, yeah. No, no, no. So, yeah, but. But to the numbers earlier, Joey, you could see that. Yeah. I mean, by the time baby comes and when you come home, everything's good, you'll have this car paid off.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. When baby comes home and you're healthy and the baby's healthy and there's no problems and you don't need this money for anything, you write a check and pay off the car that day, you're free. So you don't really lose any ground net net on your get out of debt plan.

[Caller]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

We're just. We're just doing the. We're just doing the hokey pokey a little bit. We're setting it to the side, and then we're gonna put the right foot in, then the left foot in. Right? Okay.

[Caller]

Okay. Thank you both.

[Dave Ramsey]

Hey, Joey, listen, if you need us, we're here. You call anytime, okay, kid?

[Caller]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

We got you.

[Caller]

Have a great day.

[Dave Ramsey]

You call that pastor today. You call Human Services and find out what your rights are on child support. Those are two calls you make today. And you start stacking cash. Stacking cash. Stacking cash. You're gonna be fine. You're a lot stronger than your voice sounds right now. I can tell you create your free everydollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.