Katie rested her head against the door and stared forward blankly as emotions came over her in a wave. Her one-year-old cried out just as she woke up from a nap.
Katie was completely overwhelmed. Finding out she was pregnant was definitely not what she had planned. She was looking forward to starting school again once her daughter was a few years old. That timeline just got pushed back, again, as it had the first time.
She dreaded telling her boyfriend because she knew how he was going to react. He felt just as overwhelmed with the new baby as she did.
As she scooped herself off the floor, she wiped her tears away as she went to tend to her baby. When she held her this time, things felt different. At that moment, it was as if she was weighing the value of the life inside of her against her own life and the life of her daughter. “How can anyone make a choice like this?” she thought.
That evening, as her boyfriend came in cheery and whistling after a good day at work, she figured this may be as good of an opportunity as she would ever have to tell him. She gave him a kiss, offered a smile, and asked if they could talk about something important over dinner. He agreed and as she began making dinner, she thought about how to word this bombshell. As she stirred the spaghetti, her hands began to sweat.
They sat down and Katie just blurted it out “I’m pregnant.” Her boyfriend immediately quit eating and the look on his face told her he was not happy about the pregnancy. “Well, you know what you’ve got to do, right?” he said. “Look at us Katie. We can’t handle our bills, let alone bring another child into this world.” Katie’s heart sank, “You don’t think we could make it with two kids?” Her boyfriend said, “We don’t have a choice, Katie. You know that.”
As the week went on, Katie asked the advice of several friends, and they all said the same thing: she should have an abortion. Katie felt trapped like she had no choice. That’s when she decided to search Google for help and a place called Care Net came up. She saw they provided free ultrasounds, so she booked an appointment.
Care Net’s Client Advocate made Katie feel at home when she arrived for her ultrasound. But even after the ultrasound, Katie still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.
A few days later, the Client Advocate decided to reach out to Katie after giving her a few days to think. She called her and gently asked how she was feeling and if she was still making a decision. “We’ve decided – we’re going to be a family of four!” Katie exclaimed.
Katie’s fourth family member is due in the spring and they couldn’t be more excited. Today, Katie reflects on her experience at Care Net and said that she changed her mind because of how the Client Advocate believed in her when everyone else didn’t think she could do it. She is so thankful that she didn’t choose abortion and is very excited to meet her baby in a few short months.
(Story provided by Amelia Graham at Care Net of Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington)