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© 2004 Choice to Live With

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Your Choice

Now that you have gone through the workbook, you should have a pretty good idea of what your decision should be. You've discovered your true feelings about being pregnant, your beliefs about parenting, abortion, and adoption, and you've gone through your concerns and fears and hopefully found some answers to them. The next step is to get started!  The following is a list of the first steps you can take to move to the next stage.

 

Parenting

1.  Read up on prenatal development and find out what your baby is doing right now.  

2.  Start taking good care of yourself - read all about prenatal care. (Coming soon)

3.  Start working on finding support - both financial and emotional. 

 

Abortion  

1.  Choose an abortion procedure based on how far along you are.  

2.  View the abortion stress assessment and see how you score.  

3.  Be sure to select a safe clinic and know what to watch out for. (Coming soon)

 

Adoption  

1.  Find an adoption agency in your area.  

2.  Read about open and closed adoption and think about which one you prefer.  

3.  Think about what you'd like in a good family for your child.

 

Or...

If you've come this far and still can't quite pinpoint what you want most, there are still a few things you can do:

  • Go through each of the above options and pretend that it is your choice. Follow each step and see which one feels right to you. For instance, you might "try on" the adoption choice and find that you just can't see yourself choosing an open or a closed adoption. Since neither feels right to you, you might try abortion and find that you score very highly on the Post-abortion Stress Assessment. Knowing this, you might go to the parenting choice and find that it feels good to read about fetal development. Go with your heart, and your mind will find a way to make it happen.  (We can help too!)
  • Take the above step a little further. For 3 days, fully immerse yourself in one of the options. For abortion, read about the procedure, imagine yourself no longer pregnant, think about things you'd be looking forward to without a baby. Then for the next 3 days, do the same for parenting. Look at baby names, go to a baby store, read about prenatal development and birth. Finally, for 3 days try out adoption. Look at parent profiles online to see what sort of parents are looking to adopt, think about the things that you feel are important in a family, and look into different agencies and what they provide pregnant women. At the end of this 9-day period, look back and rate the different options. Maybe this will help.
  • Sometimes it helps to "trick" your brain into revealing your true desire. This should not be used as a way to determine your final decision, but it can lead to further thinking. Flip a coin and call it in the air. Of course, this only works with 2 choices. So let's say you're choosing between parenting and adoption. Say out loud, "Heads its adoption, tails its parenting." Throw the coin into the air, and while it's still up there, call it. Say out loud what it will be. Supposedly, this is a way to reveal your gut-level response.
  • Pray and/or meditate. Sit quietly and talk out loud to God when you are alone and wide awake. Pour out your heart. Then sit quietly and let your mind listen for an answer, a prompting, or any guidance at all.
  • Visit the Contact Us page and tell us what's going on. We'd love to help you through this and will work in your best interests.

 

Please don't give into pressure and make a decision just to get it over with.  You need to feel good and confident about the choice that you make.  Don't feel guilty for taking the time to make a choice that you can live with.  You’re worth it!

Your Choice