NIFLA Life Empowerment Stories: The Mallory Family

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The New Year is a perfect time to look back at where we have been and be thankful for our blessings and where we are today. One of the great joys we experience at NIFLA is seeing the life-changing work our pregnancy centers do.

The incredibly life-changing impact of NIFLA’s pregnancy centers can be seen far and wide—both before and after pregnancy, for women suffering from grief after abortions or nervous new mothers who need support. Not only does the great work of pregnancy centers help women feel empowered to choose life for their babies, but it can also be life-saving for the mother. 

A perfect example of this is the Mallory Family. The Mallory family came to Birth Choice in San Marcos, California when they found out they were expecting.

According to a video Birth Choice posted on YouTube, Mrs. Mallory was fearful coming into pregnancy and handling morning sickness without her husband, who was deployed. She reached out to Birth Choice in the throes of a horrible case of depression.

“I was nervous about even reaching out for any sort of assistance. I was throwing up every single day and just wasn’t able to keep much down. And that on top of my husband leaving for deployment, feeling really suicidal and just not being happy with the pregnancy—whether we wanted to keep him or not. All of this—the perfect storm of just a really horrible depression,” Mrs. Mallory said.

Mrs. Mallory’s suicidal feelings worried her husband.

“I was extremely worried all the time especially for the times that I wasn’t able to sit there and actually talk to her,” Mr. Mallory said. 

The feelings Mrs. Mallory felt are unfortunately all too common for some pregnant mothers who suffer from perinatal depression. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) website, “Perinatal depression has typically referred to a period of time when symptoms appear anytime during pregnancy or within four weeks of delivery. More recently, some professional organizations have expanded the time period to include the full 12 months following delivery. The report finds that an estimated 15 to 20 percent of new mothers are affected by perinatal depression, an umbrella term that includes forms of prenatal and postpartum depression.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression before or after the birth of a child, please do not hesitate to reach out to your local pregnancy center, medical provider or a trusted therapist to get help. According to Healthline, “Between 80 and 90 percent of pregnant women and new moms are helped by medications, talk therapy, or a combination of drugs and talk therapy.”

Thankfully, Mrs. Mallory found hope to help her get through the pregnancy by emailing Birth Choice. 

“I went home and looked over everything that Birth Choice offers and then from there decided to continue on with the pregnancy,” Mrs. Mallory said.

“Birth Choice was the factor that helped me get through. To have someone who was willing to listen, who wasn’t judgmental and had faith that I could make it through this even when I didn’t myself,” Mrs. Mallory said.

“I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t gone to Birth Choice, if she didn’t have the support that she had while I was away. I worry that honestly that she probably wouldn’t be here,” Mr. Mallory said in the video. 

“Having everyone at Birth Choice just be on my side and rooting for me the entire time was incredible,” Mrs. Mallory said.

“There’s definitely a way through. There’s peace on the other side. There’s hope,” Mrs. Mallory said.

The New Year is a time of hope, a time to reflect on our blessings and what new possibilities lie ahead. Can we achieve an abortion-free America? NIFLA envisions an America where all life, born and unborn, regardless of age, handicaps or infirmities, is cherished and protected under the law. To learn more about Birth Choice and their mission to serve women, please visit their website

To learn more about what NIFLA is doing to help protect and equip pregnancy centers so they can reach abortion-vulnerable mothers and families, please visit NIFLA’s “About” page on nifla.org. To learn more about how you can partner in NIFLA’s 2020 vision to expand training, fight threatening legislation and update critical resources, please visit NIFLA’s donate page.

This original blog post was written by Olivia Briscoe, a pro-life journalist and media professional. All rights are reserved. Please email the NIFLA media team at [email protected] for interview requests or reprint permission.