Talking to your children about your unplanned pregnancy can be one of those challenging, “teachable” conversations.
Although a late period and a positive pregnancy test are usually enough to determine if you are pregnant, the Embrace team recommends you verify your pregnancy before talking to your kids. Come to Embrace for no-cost pregnancy services like pregnancy testing and sonograms.
Verify Your Pregnancy First
You need to take more than one pregnancy test. Embrace offers no-cost, laboratory-quality urine pregnancy testing.
It is possible to get a false-positive test result. A false positive means you may have been pregnant, but you had an early miscarriage.
Experts estimate as many as 26% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage. It takes time for the pregnancy hormone to leave your body, so you could get a positive test result but no longer be pregnant.
How do you definitively tell if you are pregnant? Having a limited sonogram can determine if your pregnancy is developing or if you have miscarried. A sonogram can also detect the location of your pregnancy (to rule out an ectopic pregnancy) and how far along you are.
Embrace offers no-cost limited sonograms if you get a positive result on one of Embrace’s pregnant tests.
Determining Your Options
Before discussing your pregnancy with your kids, learn your options. Children need to feel confident that you have a plan. Schedule an appointment with an Embrace team member to discuss your situation and options.
You have three: have an abortion, make an adoption plan, or choose to parent. Whatever you choose, be prepared for questions.
Having an Abortion
Make sure you give your kids age-appropriate information. What you decide to say and how you tell your children depends on their age, maturity, and how comfortable you are talking about it. Make an appointment at Embrace to receive accurate abortion information.
Making an Adoption Plan
As a mother, you know the time, energy, and resources it takes to raise kids. It can be hard. Many women currently raising other children choose to make an adoption plan for their unplanned pregnancies.
Depending on the age of your children, you can involve them in the process. Adoption is a no-cost option that, in most cases, pays for complete medical and legal assistance.
Explain the adoption process thoroughly to your kids, be prepared to answer questions, and fend off any insecurities. Assure your children that you love them all and that their place in your home is secure.
Choosing to Parent
If you have decided, despite the timing, that you want to raise this child, enlist the help of your children. Explain that babies require a lot of attention, and the focus around the house will change a bit. Let them help decorate the nursery, look at an ultrasound photo, or purchase a toy.
Talking to Your Kids
You can help your kids learn that facing challenges in life is normal. Be willing to be vulnerable and share this difficulty. A lot depends on your children’s age. If they’re young, they may not understand the impact of another child.
Older children will understand the challenge and learn that every decision has consequences. It can be a life lesson that significantly impacts their future choices.
Your relationship with the biological father of this child also plays a role. If the father is no longer involved in your life or your relationship is unhealthy, your kids will have a better understanding of the difficulties you face. Be honest and willing to be open.
Schedule a No-Cost Appointment at Embrace
An unplanned pregnancy is challenging, but help is available. As a client of Embrace, you can receive community referrals, parenting education, counseling, and overall emotional support.
Schedule your appointment today. Please arrange for childcare before your visit. Start getting the answers you need to make an empowered decision.
Embrace does not provide or refer for abortions.