Behind the locked doors of a women’s resource center is a lot of mystery. The pregnancy resource center has been the subject of much attention lately. Its opponents would have most women believe that once inside the doors, Pro-life zealots hold you captive until you agree to not have an abortion. When things are shrouded in mystery, they tend to be scarier than reality. What can a woman expect at a pregnancy counseling session?
Why would a woman need a pregnancy counseling session? First of all, for anyone who has not been in this situation, being pregnant when you didn’t plan on it is stressful. Most women have lots of plans for their lives before they realize they need to take a pregnancy test. Being in this situation causes a lot of confusion, anger, uncertainty, stress, anxiety, depression, and lots of other things to sort through. Having a listening ear to share these feelings with is worth a lot to a woman in this situation. Pregnancy counselors are there to sift through all the feelings and the fears to get to the heart of what stands in the way of a fruitful future for the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy counseling session is critical to helping a woman understand what to do next instead of losing sleep over the unknowns.
A Pregnancy Counseling Session Deals With What-Ifs
Anyone dealing with a life-changing situation can tell you that the what-ifs are what will keep you up at night more than anything else. It is easy to get your mind wrapped around worst-case scenarios when you are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy counseling session helps a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy work through the what-ifs and the worst-case scenarios so she can get back to reality.
Once the what-ifs and worst-cases are worked through in a pregnancy counseling session, real solutions to those challenges can be discussed. The most common ones are:
- How will I finish school?
- What if my parents kick me out?
- What if my boyfriend doesn’t want to be a dad?
- What if I don’t want to be a mom?
- What about my career?
- What will my church think of me?
- What if my boyfriend’s family doesn’t want him to be a dad?
There are many more questions that women facing an unplanned pregnancy have. These are merely a handful of the ones worked through in a pregnancy counseling session. Most women feel better just discussing these common issues with a pregnancy counselor. Hearing an understanding person tell you they can help you work through these issues to find solutions alleviates the fears.
Pregnancy Counseling Involves Confirming Pregnancy
What happens after all this is worked through? Your pregnancy counselor will discuss the results of your pregnancy test with you. Almost every women’s resource center will encourage you to take a pregnancy test, even if you took one at home already. This just confirms results and helps the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy discuss what to do next.
Some women’s resource centers have ultrasound technicians. After the pregnancy test results come in, and the test is positive, the woman facing an unplanned pregnancy will have the option of having an ultrasound. This further confirms an accurate pregnancy diagnosis and helps the woman facing this situation understand how far along she is. Many women inaccurately determine how far along they are, especially with an unplanned pregnancy. Knowing how far along in your pregnancy you are, helps the woman understand what to do from there.
Women’s Resource Centers Are About Finding Solutions
The one thing you will find at a women’s resource center that you will not find at any other women’s clinic is parenting solutions. Many women who come to women’s resource centers are not necessarily coming to find out if they should have an abortion. They are coming to find out what other viable options to their situation there are besides abortion.
Women who are determined to have an abortion go to abortion clinics. They don’t come to women’s resource centers. The women who visit women’s resource centers are anxious to talk about solutions to the things they think their pregnancy stands in the way of. The women who come into these centers want to know they can still be who they wanted to be, despite this change in plans called motherhood.
Can women who had plans for their lives do so and be single parents? They do every day. There are plenty of articles written about single mothers who are now doctors, lawyers, and business owners. Being a mother does not negate your plans for the future. It just includes someone you didn’t know was coming along for the ride with you.
If you find yourself considering whether or not to come into ABC Women’s Center for a pregnancy counseling session, we hope this information puts your mind a little more at ease. If you want help, we are here to assist. Make an appointment today to discuss your future.