‘I knew once I saw my baby I wouldn’t be able to let go of him.’

When Makala discovered she was pregnant with her second child, fear took over. 

She didn’t know if she could go through another pregnancy. She didn’t know if she could watch another baby suffer. And by the time she reached out to CPC’s pregnancy medical clinic, she was considering abortion. 

“I went into that appointment wanting an abortion, thinking ‘I don’t want my baby to be poked and have a feeding tube again.’”

Makala’s fear was rooted in what she had experienced during the birth of her first son, Ziggy. 

She had gone into that pregnancy with a clear picture of how she wanted his birth to go. But around 24 weeks, Makala developed pre-eclampsia. At just 30 weeks, her blood pressure became too high, and she had to be induced. She eventually underwent an emergency C-section. 

Ziggy was born weighing just two pounds. 

He was rushed to the NICU, and Makala wasn’t able to hold her newborn son for the first four days of his life. He spent 36 days in the NICU. 

“It was like I had this whole plan, and it all got thrown out the door. It was a lot mentally and physically. I felt like my body failed me and my baby boy.” 

So, when Makala learned she was pregnant with her second child, the memories of everything she and Ziggy had endured came rushing back. 

“All the fear of what Ziggy and I went through came flooding in.” 

She remembered the NICU, she remembered the feeding tube, and she was terrified that another baby might have to endure the same things. 

Even though she was considering abortion, Makala immediately reached out to CPC, and they brought her in that same day. 

She spent nearly three hours at the appointment talking through her fears. The staff listened and reminded her that every pregnancy is different and that it was okay to be scared. 

Then they offered her an ultrasound. Makala was hesitant. 

“I knew once I saw my baby I wouldn’t be able to let go of him,” 

And that is exactly what happened. 

Seeing her baby on the ultrasound screen changed the direction of Makala’s story, and despite her fears, she chose LIFE. 

“I just needed someone to tell me I could do it and that they would be there for me,” 

And CPC was there. 

Makala carried her second son, Motley, all the way to 37 weeks with no issues. Throughout the pregnancy, CPC continued checking in with her, asking how she was doing and whether she needed anything. 

“It was nice to know I had people in my corner cheering me and baby boy on.” 

Today, Makala has two healthy little boys – Ziggy and Motley – and she knows how differently Motley’s story could have ended. 

“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have even tried to keep my baby because of the trauma I went through when I had my first child.” 

Through both pregnancies, Makala also grew in her relationship with God. During the times when she felt alone, she turned to Him. “God has taught me that just because something has happened or something makes you scared doesn’t mean you don’t have to try,” she said. 

Today, Makala is grateful that fear did not have the final word. Because the baby she once feared carrying is now one of her two healthy, handsome little boys.