Through Our Doors

This month we want to highlight the activity within the sanctuary of the Ultrasound Room.  This of course is the place where we find women connecting with the child they are carrying by seeing the heartbeat for the first time.

One of the most unusual occurrences lately has been the urgent need for reassurance.  We had three women who were at risk for abortion.  All three were given scans and spent time in pregnancy counseling.  After spending much time in needs assessment and planning for all the contingencies that will arise at the birth of the child, the women all decided to carry to term.  After three or four weeks, we started hearing from the women one by one. 

Our first girl, we will call Laura, called to ask if she could come in for maternity clothes.  After showing her some maternity clothes and bagging up some items, she began to ask questions we had already answered for her during her scan and needs assessment.  It became clear that she needed reassurance, as she was approaching the end of her first trimester, of the follow through assistance that she needed to carry to term.  Having spent time reassuring her of these resources and of our willingness to walk with her through this uncertain time in her life, she left with a long sign of relief.  (and a smile…)

Our second girl, aka Cici, came in petrified and alone.  She hadn’t told anyone she was coming to 1st Way or that she was pregnant.  After her initial visit where we talked about who she could trust with this information, and who would have the most influence on her decision, she brought her boyfriend in the second time for the ultrasound scan.  During the scan both were smiling and by the end both were committed to parenting the child.  All she needed was a reassurance that he was willing to help her and that we were there for them. 

Our third woman, 26 years old with a small child, we will call Donna.  She had planned for an abortion already.  She had a scan early in the pregnancy, however too early to see anything.  We tried to schedule a second scan but she didn’t want to.  She finally returned my messages after a couple of weeks.  She did come in for the second scan at which time we did detect a heartbeat.  After talking with her I realized that she had changed her mind about the abortion, but just wanted to be reassured about the support we could offer her, and the resources available to her later on.  Once she felt satisfied, she left with more peace of mind.

A woman call asking us how much abortions cost. We answered, "We never refer for abortions." Our nurse manager, Laurie, spoke with the caller, offering her to come in the same day for an ultrasound. Laurie agreed to stay late in order to offer her a convenient appointment time. This girl missed the appointment so Laurie followed up with a phone call. The girl said, "Please wait, I'm coming." So Laurie waited another hour. When she called again, the girl said, "Oh I'm just around the corner, REALLY! Please don't leave." Laurie and I decided we would give her one more chance. She came, had the ultrasound and broke down in emotional turmoil. Her boyfriend was waiting in the truck in the parking lot and was taking her for an abortion, NOW. He was forcing her, and was abusive. She even had front teeth missing, though she was a very attractive girl.

She remained in the office and spent a great deal of time trying to put together a plan to gain independence in the situation. Laurie spent two hours reassuring her that we would walk with her through the pregnancy and afterwards. When she left, she determined to leave this man and keep the baby. We tried reaching her for follow up and could not for many weeks. Then we left it in prayer to God.
Later, at six months pregnant, she came in to the office with a small four-year-old boy. She grabbed the girl at the counter, crying and saying, "you make such a difference here, thank you so much." We quickly got her into a counseling room. She recounted this miraculous story. The day that she came to 1st Way, she was a drug addict on 'meth'. Both of her children had been taken by CPS and were in foster homes. (We had no knowledge of either of these facts.) After the 1st Way visit, she left her abusive relationship, went into rehab for two months and then received her children back after demonstrating responsible and trustworthy changes in her life. She had decided to place her baby in an adoptive home so that she can focus on her two other children and start a new life.