SARAH

Sarah walked into the campus PDHC confused and scared. She told the greeter that she needed to talk with someone about being pregnant. The nurse introduced herself, and Sarah shared her story.

Sarah is a freshman at The Ohio State University and has a mapped out a plan for college and law school. She just found out that she was pregnant when she went to a clinic because she thought she had the flu. Sarah said she  came to PDHC to learn about her options.

The nurse listened as Sarah shared that the relationship she had been in with the father of the baby was emotionally abusive. Sarah had recently ended the relationship; she never dreamed that pregnancy was a possibility. Sarah said she wanted to hear about all her options and she was strongly considering abortion. When asked how she usually coped with crisis or stressful situations, Sarah said she liked to gather as much information as possible before making a decision. Sarah was given information about all the options: parenting, adoption and abortion, and Sarah said she would read through it all. The nurse offered her an ultrasound to determine  how far along Sarah was.  Sarah agreed to come back a few days later.

Sarah returned for the ultrasound and told the nurse she had read all the information. At the sight of the heartbeat, Sarah smiled. She asked a lot of questions about what she was seeing on the screen. Sarah had told her mom about the pregnancy and that she was considering parenting, but had not fully decided yet. However, Sarah also said that viewing the ultrasound and actually seeing a baby and a heartbeat were helping her with her decision. She agreed to a follow up phone call with the nurse in a few days.

The nurse called to check on Sarah and Sarah told her that she had decided to parent. Sarah  and her mom had spent a few days together. They made a plan for Sarah to move home temporarily to give birth and adjust, and then Sarah would jump back into her college plans, Sarah asked about the parenting classes at PDHC and other community resources. “I need to learn all I can If I am going to make this decision,” said Sarah. She took all the PDHC parenting classes at that she possibly could before her due date.

Sarah moved home after her first semester at OSU and gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. She remains at home this semester adjusting to motherhood and is supported by her family. She feels confident that, although her timetable has been altered, she can continue on with her college and career path. She is thankful for the encouragement and support of PDHC, both in helping to educate her as she made her pregnancy decision, and also for the support she received through maternity clothes, baby items and parenting classes to help teach her how to be a mom. 

Names were not changed. Sarah is excited to share her story and this is a picture of her baby that she sent to PDHC.