Pregnant? Eeeeee! So many emotions, thoughts, and questions roll through our mind as soon as that little test is positive, or for some, the second we’re late. The unplanned tends to derail our perfectly thought out plans for our lives. We want to fight the unplanned–to make it go away so that we can get on with our life the way we had it planned out. But what if…what if we slow down for a moment and maybe, just maybe the unexpected is what was planned for our lives? Maybe the unexpected is better than anything we could have dreamed up and planned for our lives? Is it possible? So many questions.
It’s terribly frightening to stare into the unknown of the future. Suddenly there are so many decisions that need to be made, decisions that didn’t exist yesterday.
So what do you do? Where do you go?
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Find a Pregnancy Options Center/ Crisis Pregnancy Center / Pregnancy Resource Center near you.
You need somewhere you can just sit and talk. To let out all the emotion, the fear, the stress, the worry, the nightmare, without being judged. The caring staff at a Crisis Pregnancy Center/Pregnancy Resource center/Pregnancy options center will sit with you and provide counseling and support. Many centers offer crisis support, pregnancy education, parenting education, support groups and material support.
After or even while you are contemplating options and trying to make a decision, it is also necessary to be taking good care of yourself and baby during this time. That’s why the number two resource is:
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Join BabyCenter.com
If you are pregnant you’ll have a million questions. What can I eat? What shouldn’t I eat? Is what I am feeling normal? When is there a problem? Is a little bit of blood ok? BabyCenter.com is a wealth of knowledge and can answer any question that you have. If you’d like, it will also keep you up to date on how your baby is growing and you can join forums and have discussions with other women at the same stage of pregnancy as yourself.
Once you know that you are taking care of yourself and your baby, you need encouragement. A great place to get encouragement and support is from others who have been in your shoes, and thus the third resource is:
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Other women who’ve had unplanned pregnancies.
According to U.S. statistics about 45% of all pregnancies are unplanned. You are not alone. Many women have been where you’ve been. Join a mom’s group. There are mom’s groups available through different churches, through the health unit, through a Pregnancy center, sometimes even through the hospital. If that seems too daunting to you, you can join a mom’s group online, or simply search out different stories or blogs about other women who have had unplanned pregnancies and how it changed their life for the better. Find out what their story is and maybe it will help you redefine your own story.
These are three of the best resources in helping you make some key decisions about your pregnancy. Find people to help you make the best choice for you, make sure you have information on how to take care of yourself and baby, and find other woman to encourage you in the decision that you have made. An unplanned pregnancy could just be a blessing in disguise if you let it!
Are you considering adoption and want to give your child the best life possible? Let us help you find an adoptive family that you love. Visit Adoption.org or call 1-800-ADOPT-98.
More guidance during your unplanned and unexpected pregnancy can be found at Adoption.com.