Motherhood has not been an easy journey for Alyssa Mainhart, 23, but she is trying to become a better mother to her children.

Mainhart’s life began to change when she was 16 years old and in a car accident.

Following the accident, she needed surgery on her arm. When she went to the hospital, she was told the doctor could not operate because Mainhart was pregnant.

“The doctors gave me the choice between having full use of my arm and aborting my baby.

“I’m not going to kill my kid for my arm,” said Mainhart of Butler.

That choice left her with limited use of her left arm.

Her first child, Dominick, is now 6 years old. She had two more children after that, Devyn, 4, and Avalynne, 1.

But life became more difficult when she became addicted to the pain medication she was given after her accident. She was not able to handle taking care of her children and herself.

Mainhart knew that adoption would be the best option to give her children the life they deserve.

“I hate saying this, but they are being taken care of better than what I could do for them right now,” Mainhart said.

Her oldest son has asperger’s syndrome and the family that is adopting him is better able to take care of him.

Mainhart has an open adoption with the adopting parents and will be able to keep in touch with her children.

“Right now, we’re trying to arrange visitations,” she said.

“I had them and got into some trouble. Instead of doing the right thing, I looked at it as I didn’t have my kids anymore, and I got into my addiction really bad,” Mainhart said.

Her actions landed her in prison, and it was there she learned she was pregnant with her fourth child.

She was released in October and on March 20 she welcomed her son, Gunner Daniel Mainhart.

“I feel like a first-time mom again,” Mainhart said. “When he is sleeping, I check his breathing.”

Mainhart is just more than nine month of being clean of drugs, and has been getting help to keep her on the right track.

“No matter how bad your day is when he looks at me and smiles, it’s the best feeling in the world,” she said of her son.

Mainhart does not drive, and spends time walking with Gunner to make her appointments.

Gunner is always with her, and she even jokes that he is a little too attached.

“I’m spoiling him, and I shouldn’t be,” Mainhart said. “I use to let him sleep with me and now he wants to be held all the time, and it’s my fault.”

“We have dance parties, not full on break dancing, we baby dance,” Mainhart said.

Holding her son, Mainhart, looked comfortable and at ease with the transition she is making.

She received her GED in 2008 and hopes to attend college and get a degree in drug and alcohol counseling.

“I want to be able to help people with issues that I used to have,” Mainhart said.

“It’s hard when you make a mistake and you have to deal with the consequences of it, some are more severe than others.” Mainhart said.

She learned the hard way when she gave up her three older children. Gunner has been Mainhart’s new start and her lesson that there is always time.

“It’s not too late to better yourself and turn your life around,” Mainhart said. “I’m by no means years into it, but I have made so much progress.