Once you discover that you may be pregnant and then confirm that fear, you may begin to feel very alone as you begin to deal with your unplanned pregnancy. Although you may feel isolated and alone, know that you are not and while it may feel like your world is coming to end, know that it is not. Unplanned pregnancies happen all the time to all different kinds of people. You will not be the first to experience and unplanned pregnancy and you will not be the last. You are strong! You can make it through this!

Having personally experienced two unplanned pregnancies, I know... more

Making the decision of whether to place your baby for adoption or to raise him or her is a huge decision that requires a lot of thought and time. It really is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) decisions you will ever have to make in your lifetime. It’s truly a decision that can not be made overnight. Undoubtedly, you will need time to cope and deal with the shock and the reality that you are indeed pregnant before you begin trying to make this decision.

While you are researching and educating yourself about your options, take care of yourself. Below is a list of simple things that... more

So, you have just taken the pregnancy test and it is screaming “positive” at you. You are probably feeling a myriad of different emotions and having a million different thoughts running through your head. You may not be sure what to do first, how to feel, etc.

You may be hesitant to tell many people that you are pregnant right away. You need time to absorb the shock you are probably feeling. But I do suggest telling someone right away. Choose a trusted friend or family member (or perhaps your baby’s father, depending on the situation and circumstances)... more

I’m starting a new series today that I am calling “The Journey.” The journey starts when you first find out you are pregnant and in this series will continue until the birth of your baby. I will discuss both the option of parenting and the option of placing. Some of these topics that will come up during the series may have been touched on in the past, but to be thorough I will include them in this series as well.

The first step that comes along in this journey is finding out you are pregnant. Perhaps your period is late, you are feeling nauseous, or... more

You have had some of the symptoms, your period was late, you finally bit the bullet and took a test. You nervously waited the three minutes. You prayed, willed, and demanded that the test only have one line. It felt like the longest three minutes of your entire life. When you finally were brave enough, you slowly opened one eye and then the other. You held your breath as you looked at the test. You face became hot and flush as you saw the two lines staring back at you.

Sound familiar?? If you are reading this blog then chances are it has happened or is... more

You’ve taken a pregnancy test and it has 2 lines screaming positive! Now what??

I’ll never forget taking that first pregnancy test when I found out I was pregnant with my son. By the 3rd test, my friend who was there for moral support, says, “You can take 100 pregnancy tests and I think they are all going to be positive. You are pregnant.”

In a moment, reality hit. I was really and truly pregnant! It was about that time when my friend said, “Tons of women get pregnant everyday. You can handle this. You will figure it out.” Those first few days of reality... more

• Ask those in your support network whether they will be willing to lend a hand from time to time with babysitting or child care. Talk to a wide range of trusted friends and relatives, or people you know from churches or other social organizations. You may be surprised to find out who can relate to your story, and who exactly wants to help. • Consider where you and the baby will live (in your own home? in public housing? in student family housing? with a friend or relative?), and make the necessary arrangements. • If you work, talk to your boss to find out how much leave you can take from work and how they will handle your absence. Learn about the Family... more

When you’re in the midst of an unplanned pregnancy, your whole world can feel so completely out of control that it may help to write an action plan for all the things you’ll need to do over the coming months. Following is a checklist of items which are useful to consider whether you ultimately choose adoption or not. It is by no means complete, but it will get you started in your planning.

• Tell everyone who needs to know that you are pregnant. Stress that you do not want to be pressured, and that you will be taking your time to consider all your options. • Find an OB/GYN... more