Unexpected Pregnancy? Scared and don’t know what to do first?

Find out what your pregnancy options are. Finding out you are pregnant can be a scary moment, even when the pregnancy is planned. Suddenly everything changes, your thoughts are racing, and you don’t know what to do next. Perhaps this is your first pregnancy and your plans for a college education and a career have been derailed. Perhaps, you already have children and you are struggling to survive as a single parent, and another mouth to feed is one too many. Perhaps you don’t have a job or transportation, or you have health issues, whatever your circumstances we can help via our pregnancy options program.

Most of our clients with an unexpected pregnancy, when they first come to us, don’t know what to do either. Our caring staff specializes in helping our expectant/birth families work through their options. We provide pregnancy options counseling, information, and resources, to help our expectant/birth mother’s through the initial crisis stage. We can refer you directly to a partner agency that can provide free pregnancy testing, and an ultrasound if you want one.

Free Pregnancy Test

Do you think you’re pregnant? Are you worried? We can help you! We have a Pregnancy Options Program to help you make an informed decision about adoption. Make an appointment with us for a discreet free pregnancy test.

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Teenager?

If you are a Teen…… do your parents know? Do you want to discuss how to tell them? Does the baby’s father know? Is your family likely to be supportive, or the opposite? An unplanned pregnancy can feel like the end of the world, and it doesn’t matter whether you are 14 or 40, it can feel overwhelming. Whether you are in the position of not knowing what to do, or you’ve had a chance to think through the situation and you know what you want to do, but need help to do it. We are here for you. Take a deep breath. Call us and we will help you decide what to do next.

Teen Pregnancy:  http://www.floridaschildrenfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pregnant-and-parenting-booklet.pdf

Undecided?

Our caring staff will help you evaluate your situation. If you are undecided on whether you want to parent, or chose an Adoption Plan, we will offer counseling to help in the decision-making process. Initially, you will be offered an opportunity to explore all options in a caring and non-judgmental environment. Together, we will explore your feelings, circumstances, and available options, including parenting (single or jointly), or making a customized adoption plan. The services of a pregnancy counselor will be made available to assist in the decision-making process. Group counseling may also be offered.

We offer an opportunity to make a personalized pregnancy plan. The Center provides comprehensive services through a network of community agencies, businesses, government, and community partners. We will help you sign up for Medicaid, WIC, Food Stamps, Healthy Families, and other such agencies.

Decision Making Process

We recognize how difficult an unplanned pregnancy can be, and we are committed to supporting you through the process. We will help you whether you chose to parent, or whether you chose to make a Personalized Adoption Plan. The decision on whether to parent, or chose an adoption plan can be confusing and emotional. Oftentimes, well-meaning friends and family add more confusion (and emotion) to the decision. Our loving staff would like to help you through the decision-making process. We are not in the business of pushing you to make an adoption plan, rather we are here to help you work through your feelings to arrive at a decision that feels right. Whether, your decision means you decide to parent, or you choose to make an adoption plan, we will be here to help.

If you chose to parent we will help you navigate community resources and put you in touch with social services and help you navigate resources to help strengthen your family. We will help you with health and nutrition, life skills training, education and employment planning, mental health and substance abuse services when needed, as well as help you to sign up for Medicaid, WIC, Healthy Families, obtain prenatal care and medical care and work on reducing family stress.

We will pre-qualify you before putting you in touch with partner agencies that provide housing, rent, utility assistance, job training, food, baby supplies, clothing, furniture, and much more. We will partner you with a mentor who can provide you with wisdom and support at the time you need it most. We will help you identify, explore and work on your support systems.

Expectant/birth parents, who do decide on an adoption plan will be encouraged to participate in creating a Personalized Adoption plan. We want to keep the control in your hands, and with this, in mind, we will offer choices every step of the way, and we will respect your wishes.

Adoption Plan

Expectant/birth parents who have had an opportunity to work through their feelings, and decide that parenting is not a viable option, may decide Adoption is a good choice for their circumstances. We believe adoption should not be a decision made out of desperation, but rather a decision based on love for the child. We want our clients to carefully consider all their options, before deciding whether a Personalized Adoption Plan is a right choice for their child. Once, a decision to make a Personalized Adoption Plan is made, birth mothers will enter into our Adoption Program. More details on our Adoption Program can be found under “Choosing an Adoption Plan.”

Deciding to Parent

If you decide to parent, we will be happy to help you by providing the following services:

• Social Service Navigation. We will assist you to navigate community and social service resources. Initially, we will work on identifying needs and creating an Individualized Development Plan. Once we know what your needs are we can set about accessing appropriate resources. As an Access Florida Community Partner, we can assist with applications for Temporary Cash Assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid, WIC, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, free cell phone, and other assistance programs. Through our close relationships with community partners, we help our clients access parenting classes, baby supplies, free cribs, car seats, and other essential supplies.
• Health and Nutrition. Our goal is to help women get and stay healthy during pregnancy. This is important if the baby is to get the best chance of being born healthy. As such, we help with education on healthy living habits, nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction. We help you get access to medical care, and prenatal care, and discuss making healthy living and eating choices. If you have substance abuse issues, we will help you access appropriate services.
• Life Skills Training. We recognize the importance of developing good coping and life skills. We help our clients learn budgeting, decision-making, communication, and healthy relationship skills. We help you identify and nurture your social support systems. The Individualized Development Plan will identify areas to work on and will include goal setting for personal growth.
• Education and Employment Planning. Education and employment is a vital part of our program. We want our clients to leave our program well on the way to being self-sufficient, and there is nothing more important than education and employment. We will put clients in touch with agency partners who can assist with resume writing, applications, job training, and educational opportunities. We will assist you with educational and employment goal setting and will work on getting you to work, or back to work so that you can be self-sufficient.
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse. We recognize mental health is very important, especially while pregnant and, or preparing to parent. We assist our clients to find mental health services and medical services. Substance abuse issues are problematic during pregnancy as it is not just the woman’s health at risk, but also that of her unborn child. We offer a non-judgmental environment where you can feel safe discussing your mental health and substance abuse issues. An Individualized Development Plan includes goal setting and treatment planning. We encourage honesty so that we can help you with appropriate services, for your sake and for the sake of your unborn child. “See our section on Substance Abuse While Pregnant.”

 Strengthening Families

Our Center firmly believes in the philosophy of strengthening families. All our programs have been created to put the power back in the hands of the individual. We encourage our clients to identify their needs, and with our assistance set goals and put together a plan. Our goal is healthy mothers, healthy babies, and clients who leave our program better able to support themselves. We recognize, that facing an unexpected pregnancy, potentially alone, is a daunting prospect which is why our program aims to match expectant/birth mothers with a mentor volunteer who will provide caring moral support and wisdom. We want to see women empowered to be self-supporting and independent.

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Prenatal Care:  https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/prenatal-care

https://medlineplus.gov/prenatalcare.html

FLORIDA MEDICAID

Florida Medicaid: ACCESS Florida    

Apply:                   https://dcf-access.dcf.state.fl.us/access/scrflstartappl.do

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