Teen Mom's Maci: "I Can Make It Through Anything Thrown at Me"

After delving into the lives of expectant teens in 16 and Pregnant, MTV is back with its follow-up series, Teen Mom (Tuesdays at 10/9c). Showcasing the daily struggles of young mothers, Teen Mom features four of the women from the original documentary. TVGuide.com spoke with Maci, who struggles to raise her son Bentley while trying to decide whether to marry her not-so-active fiancé Ryan.

TVGuide.com: How did you get involved in 16 and Pregnant?
Maci: My mom found it on the Internet and told me that it would be something cool to write into to see if I could get picked. I figured that if I could get a good message across then I should do it.

TVGuide.com: Did you have any hesitations before doing Teen Mom?
Maci: No. After I did 16 and Pregnant, all of the feedback I got from the fans and people who knew me was exactly why I did 16 and Pregnant. I decided that with Teen Mom, if I could get [my story] out to even more people, it would be a good thing to do.

TVGuide.com: So the reaction has been positive?
Maci: Everybody loves me; they love the show. Anytime I'm out with Bentley, everyone loves to take pictures with us. I've also gotten to speak to some of the local high schools to spread my story and talk about teen pregnancy.

TVGuide.com: In the last episode, you left your fiancé Ryan. How will that be addressed this week?
Maci: I just moved out of the apartment, and I really wanted Ryan to get a good relationship with Bentley before I got back together with him. My friends move away to college, and I'm back at home just thinking about what I need to do about Ryan — trying to make decisions about our relationship. He's definitely a part of Bentley's life, but you'll just have to watch the shows to see if we're still together.

TVGuide.com: Did you ever think Ryan would become an absent father?
Maci: I was definitely surprised and a little let down. I expected a whole lot more from him, and I think that might have been the problem. I don't think I should have expected so much because he is young like me, and we were in it together. I guess the way he did react and the way things have happened I was very surprised by.

TVGuide.com: How long were you two together before you got pregnant?
Maci: We had been dating for about five months, and we had been official "boyfriend and girlfriend" for four months.

TVGuide.com: Have you followed the other girls in Teen Mom?
Maci: I have, and even after 16 and Pregnant, I kept in touch with all of the girls. We're always asking each other what's going on and how everything is going. Because I don't get to talk to them a lot, I like watching them on the show because it keeps me updated on their lives. We're so close but live so far away.

TVGuide.com: What's one thing people may be surprised to know about you?
Maci: I have a lot of tattoos. One of them was shown when I was trying on my wedding dress. [It's] on my right shoulder, and it says "bulletproof." It means that I can make it through anything thrown at me and nothing can change me. I'm going to be the same person I've always been.

TVGuide.com: Did you get it after Bentley was born?
Maci: I got it on his 6-month birthday.

TVGuide.com: What's next for you?
Maci: It's kind of weird because I have two separate lives. I've got my MTV life, and I've got my normal school life. I'm still in college and majoring in journalism — I actually want to write a book about being 16 and pregnant. I do a lot of blogging online, especially on MySpace and Facebook, and that's to help me prepare for my major in journalism. I don't like to have a plan; I like to see where everything goes.

Watch Maci talk about the change in her relationship with Ryan after Bentley's birth below.