A Stronger Woman. A Better Mother.

“I remember when La'Kiyah, my first daughter was born. I was afraid then too.”

How many times a day do we second guess ourselves?

A few months ago, we collaborated with Life Forward on a series of interviews that would be screened at their annual fundraising event. One of the women we interviewed was Laketra Steward, a single mother from Cincinnati, Ohio who had recently found herself with a second unplanned pregnancy.

From the moment we heard the first few interview answers, it was clear that her story needed to be shared with the world.

More often than not, we feel that these stories have been told to us for a reason. When we followed around Laketra for a day, we were astounded by how candid and natural she came across on camera. We were touched by her story of rebirth, of fear conquered by the support of strong women, of new beginnings born out of unplanned births. Hers is the story of doubt, rebirth, and self-confidence, and her children stand as living proof of what can happen when you take a leap of faith and believe in yourself.

As you’ll see after watching the video, Laketra’s story is undeniably unique, but it is also universal. She is one of so many women that are left to deal with raising a child without the assistance of others, and her story is one that is often ignored by the general public. She is a strong woman and a better mother because of the choices she has made.

Life Forward provides women like Laketra with safe, non-judgmental assistance when they’re faced with unplanned pregnancies, and by sharing this story with the world, we hope that Life Forward will be able to reach out to women who have found themselves facing similar struggles and who might be unaware that there is an organization out there that is dedicated to helping them through the process of pregnancy.

“I can’t raise a second child. I’m not prepared. I can barely keep up with the baby girl I already have. I feel unstable. I can’t do this alone. [...] These thoughts filled my head when I found out I was pregnant again.

Doubt is a powerful thing, but by making these tough decisions, we can become whole again. This is how we find out who we really are, and by pushing through the barrier of doubt, we can become strong, courageous, and confident.

Just like Laketra.