Maci’s Story

I was 17 years old when I found out I was pregnant. I was still with my significant other, but he worked out of state to establish a good job. My parents had just gotten a divorce. I was still in high school and had to 2 semesters to go. I choose to go to AEC so I could finish school and work before my daughter was born. During that time I found LAPS. It was a great opportunity for me because I was a high school mother with no parents of my own. Shortly after my parents' divorce my mom moved to California to be with her boyfriend and my dad had already moved out of the house. LAPS was a great place for educating new parents. I learned about my options and my boyfriend and I decided to keep our daughter (aborting was out of the question for us). I went once a week after work to earn coupons to get a pack-n-play to use as our crib. It was really great to have to the support of the staff there and how they really encouraged you to make the best out of the situation you had been given. When our daughter was born she slept in her pack-n-play that I worked to get for the first 6 months before we were given a crib. My boyfriend, who is now my husband, just had our second daughter who has used the same pack-n-play for her first 6 months in our room before just recently moving to her crib. Our family has worked very hard to get where we are today. With the awesome support from LAPS we have gotten this far. I encourage anyone to not be afraid and give it a try. They are confidential and a very supportive group.