A woman's dream tiny home turned into a nightmare during her pregnancy, but she fell back in love with the lifestyle as a single mom

• Soon after moving into a 325-square-foot house, Alexis Monkhouse learned that she was pregnant.
• Monkhouse said it was stressful living in a tiny home during her pregnancy.
• She moved out when her daughter was born, but they later returned. Now, Monkhouse loves the home.

In June 2018, Alexis Monkhouse moved into a 325-square-foot home in Tampa, Florida. One month later, she found out she was pregnant.

But being pregnant in a tiny house was never the plan for Monkhouse.

"I describe it as a year from hell," the 25-year-old mother told Insider, speaking of living in the home during her pregnancy. "I got bigger, but my space was getting smaller."

Today, Monkhouse, her 2-year-old daughter, Nalini Monkhouse-Ruiz, and their two dogs, live happily in their small space. But Monkhouse said being pregnant in the small space came with challenges.

Alexis Monkhouse hadn't planned to be pregnant in a tiny house

After her mother died, Monkhouse used her mom's life insurance money to design her dream tiny house for about $75,000 in January 2018. She hired builders, and moved into her new home in June 2019.

Monkhouse said she hadn't finished unpacking when she learned that she was pregnant that July. Although the pregnancy was a surprise, she said the first few months in her tiny house were like a fairy tale because she was finally able to live in the home she had spent months dreaming about.

But as her body changed, Monkhouse said, it set in that she'd soon be a new mom.

"It was really stressful, and I think it made it more stressful being in a small, enclosed space," she said of living in the 325-square-foot home. "You feel suffocated."

At the time, Monkhouse and her partner were living in the home with their two dogs and two cats. There were too many creatures in the space, Monkhouse said - and too many belongings.

Instead of getting rid of stuff when she moved, Monkhouse said her home was getting more cluttered as items for her pregnancy and baby arrived.

"At nine months and when I was ready to pop, I told my partner at the time, 'We have to get out of here,''' she said.

So they did, and Monkhouse moved back into her childhood home.

When her daughter was born, Monkhouse moved back home

By the time Nalini was born, Monkhouse and her partner had split, and Monkhouse said she decided to take a break from tiny living. She moved in with her dad and rented out her tiny house for about six months, she said.

She spent that time adjusting to being a new mom and addressing some fears around being a single mom and living tiny, she said.

"It was hard, and I was scared," she said. "But I realized I was just running from my problems."

After half a year spent living with her dad, Monkhouse said she was ready to give tiny living another shot.

When Monkhouse and her daughter moved back into their tiny home, they brought fewer things with them

Monkhouse said the second move went smoother, and she attributes that to bringing a lot less stuff.

When she first moved into the tiny house, she hadn't quite embraced minimalism, she said. This time, Monkhouse said, she ditched the majority of her belongings.

With more room and a growing baby, Monkhouse fell in love with tiny living. She also saw all the benefits of raising a child in small space.

"She has nowhere to go," she said. "I don't have to worry about her disappearing or getting into trouble."

When messes are made or toys clutter the home, it doesn't take long to clean.

A tiny house has also afforded the duo financial freedom. Monkhouse's monthly bills are small, she said, "so I don't have that added stress on top of being a single parent."

While living in a tiny home still has its challenges, like dating and hosting friends, Monkhouse said she's confident in her lifestyle choice.

"Going tiny was the best decision ever," she said. "I love being a single mother in a tiny house."