{"id":219777,"date":"2020-03-09T16:40:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T21:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=219777"},"modified":"2020-03-09T14:18:23","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T19:18:23","slug":"teen-mom-mackenzie-chose-life-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/teen-mom-mackenzie-chose-life-twice\/","title":{"rendered":"As a teen mom, Mackenzie chose life twice: ‘I have the motivation to work hard every day’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>)\u00a0Mackenzie was 17 years old when, after 13 positive home pregnancy tests, she decided she needed help.<\/p>\n

Exhausted from emotion and lack of sleep, Mackenzie walked through the doors of the Pregnancy Help Center of Artesia<\/a>\u2014a non-profit pro-life hub located in southern New Mexico\u2014and met Amanda Ramsey, the center\u2019s executive director and co-founder.<\/b><\/p>\n

That meeting changed everything.<\/p>\n

Confidently scared<\/h4>\n

\u201cI was scared because I was only 17 and had yet to tell a single soul, anxious because a million thoughts were running through my mind,\u201d Mackenzie wrote in a reflection. \u201cAnd Amanda listened to every one of those thoughts and fears and worries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want a baby; it was about to be my senior year of high school and I wanted to go to college and get started on my life first,\u201d she wrote. \u201cUntil I realized it wasn\u2019t about just my life anymore. Through the help at the pregnancy center, I learned my baby\u2019s life was just as important as mine, and I learned the choice I made for my son was the most important choice I would ever make.\u201d<\/p>\n

By this point, the father of her unborn child had moved and Mackenzie knew she couldn\u2019t count on the support of her family. Miserable from morning sickness, Mackenzie quit her waitressing job but persisted at school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was scared, but the center helped me be confidently scared,\u201d Mackenzie wrote.<\/p>\n

She began attending parenting classes, very much aware of her single-parent-teen-mom status as she looked around the room, noticing the other women\u2019s partners. That didn\u2019t deter her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, with each class I attended, I learned more and more about how I could actually take care of the little baby whose life depended on mine,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI was scared, but I became excited. They were teaching us everything from parenting to the formation of the baby. I was learning nearly everything about being my baby\u2019s mother and learning everything he was going through inside of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Moms go to Congress to explain why they gave life to their babies<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The classes also provided information on prenatal care, labor, and delivery, empowering her in the lead-up to her baby\u2019s birth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe classes at the pregnancy center made me feel comfortable with having my baby and also helped me feel confident in the choices I made for my baby and my body,\u201d she wrote. \u201cFrom the glucose test to the epidural, everything was my choice. I learned how to change a diaper, how to swaddle my baby, and how to properly breastfeed. I began feeling as if I could actually be a confident mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with education, the center provided Mackenzie with some pricey essentials, including a breast pump and a car seat. When her son finally made his appearance, Mackenzie was blown away by her love for her child.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the day came where my precious son was in my arms and it was at that moment that I found the definition and meaning of love,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt was then I realized how amazing life was and how amazing it was to give life to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

So impactful was her love for her son Dezmond that when she discovered she was pregnant again several weeks later, she wasn\u2019t shaken.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the bond I grew with my son, I did not hesitate about my options when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter,\u201d Mackenzie said.<\/p>\n