Lindsey had big aspirations for her future--she dreamed of being a professional cage fighter, but training was expensive, especially with a newborn. She tried her best to save money before she had her baby, but without her boyfriend Forest's help, she knew things were going to be tight. If she didn't want to live in poverty for the rest of her life, then she was going to have to work hard.
Lindsey's story on "16 and Pregnant" is an excellent reminder about one of the biggest struggles involved with having a baby as a teenager: money. The odds are stacked against her; two-thirds of families started by young, unmarried mothers are poor, and a quarter of teen moms go on welfare within three years of their child's birth.
It's not cheap to raise a child. Lindsey learned quickly that items she needed for the baby were expensive and not exactly within her fast food worker's budget. Someone like Lindsey could easily spend more than $7,500 on her baby during the first year alone, and more than $150,000 over 18 years. And that doesn't include sending her child to college someday.
