I See Two Lines…
Unplanned, uneasy, and totally unsure.
Maybe you guys just started dating. Maybe you’re a student. Maybe you already have a kid or two. Maybe you aren’t sure who the father could be. Maybe you feel too young, or too old. Maybe you just got married. Maybe you don’t feel ready. Maybe you recently started a new job. Maybe you never thought of yourself as a mother. Maybe you never wanted this.
Maybe you’re mad, disappointed, overwhelmed, freaked out, scared, embarrassed, or totally numb. No matter how you got here, or how you feel, there are two lines staring back at you. You are pregnant.
The second those two lines appear the world somehow slows down, and also speeds up. You likely freeze in disbelief – thinking everything and everyone around you is at a standstill while you try to come to terms with the fact that you are pregnant. A few deep breaths later and you feel like you are sitting right in the middle of a hurricane. There are ideas, questions, doubts, all spinning around inside your head at a million miles an hour. “What am I going to do? How could this happen?”
In the midst of one of the greatest shocks of your life – lean into these truths.
1. You have TIME
With an unplanned pregnancy, it will likely feel like you have to get your life sorted out immediately.
You may be thinking “I’m going to have a baby – I need to find a job, I need to get my life and relationships together, I need to find a doctor and insurance TODAY...” OR “I can’t be pregnant right now, I need to find a clinic for an abortion, I need to end this before anything in my life changes...” OR “I need to start an adoption plan ASAP”
One of the biggest lies women believe in an unplanned pregnancy is that there is no time to wait. The reality is – you have so much time. You have time to sort through your emotions. You have time to see a medical professional and be educated on your options. You have time to tell whoever you want to tell, whenever you want to tell them. What to do with an unplanned pregnancy is a huge life decision – this decision does not have to be made quickly.
2. You have VALUE
An unplanned pregnancy can make it feel like your whole life is over. In a moment of shock and disappointment, it’s easy to think “without a successful job, a good relationship, a perfect home, or higher education, what am I even worth?” The truth is – you are valuable. Just as you are. In this very moment, your life holds meaning. You are pregnant, and you didn’t plan to be, and you are STILL so valuable.
In a world that says women can be ANYTHING – choose to believe that women can be great mothers, can work or attend school while pregnant, can make hard decisions with wisdom, and can hold value apart from worldly standards. Whatever you decide, you have value. Choose to believe this and allow this truth to guide you into making an educated and thought-out decision.
3. You have OPTIONS
Some women feel trapped and may tell us, “I have no choice. There are no other options.” The truth is – you DO have options. And at Parkridge, there are people that can help you clearly see and think through all of those options. It may feel like you are stuck and there is only one way out, but that is just not true.
When facing an unplanned pregnancy – there are three options. Parenting, Adoption, and Abortion. There is no “easy” option. If you feel pushed in one direction – due to family or friend pressures, financial or personal circumstances, or just plain fear – take a second to remind yourself of this truth. You have options. You are in control.
Women come into Parkridge every day with unplanned pregnancies. You are not the only one who feels the way that you do right now. You also won’t feel this way forever. Take the time that you need, believe in the value your life holds, and think through all of your options.
Call our clinic or click here to schedule a pregnancy test appointment. Parkridge provides free and confidential testing, ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment, and counseling. You are not alone in this.
