A few months ago, Leslie came to the clinic. She was pregnant, in her late 20s and had 2 other kids. She had been down this road before — unplanned pregnancies — and knew how demanding pregnancy, labor, and raising a child is. She couldn’t do it again, especially without the support of the father or her family and friends.
The purpose of Leslie’s visit was to get abortion information. Our nurses cared for her, were compassionate and understanding of her situation, but invited her to take her time before making a decision. They gave her a pamphlet on abortion, which outlined the procedures, risks, side-effects, etc. However, when Leslie left, she told our nurses that she was still leaning towards having an abortion.
In a phone call a few days later, the nurses were surprised to hear that Leslie hadn’t made an abortion appointment yet. There was still hope! They invited her to return for a follow-up appointment and ultrasound. To their surprise, she returned for the appointment, and seemed to be more open than she was the first time. Now, at 7 weeks along in the pregnancy, Leslie was able to get a great ultrasound image.
The nurses shared that everything seemed to be normal with the pregnancy. By then, a connection was made between Leslie and her unborn child. The ultrasound, combined with the abortion information and the nurses’ compassion, gave the mom the confidence that she could parent. Another mother empowered and another life saved!
Two weeks after the appointment, though, the nurses received a phone call from Leslie, who was crying. She had had some spotting and went to her OB, who informed her that she had miscarried. What would have been a relief several weeks before turned into a terribly tragic event for her. God had another plan for the baby in utero, and Leslie is still grieving her loss, but she’s grateful that InnerVisions HealthCare helped during her period of crisis.
Well done, nurses, and thanks to Leslie for being a courageous mother! Say a prayer for her and our nurses. We are committed to continually helping moms in challenging situations like these.