Patricia’s Story

On June 7, 2016, an 18 year-old Hispanic female came into Assure Pregnancy Clinic for confirmation of pregnancy. She had taken four home pregnancy tests that all read positive. She has been with her boyfriend for three years;however, does not feel like their relationship is stable. The Client was very upset about the positive test as she stated she has never liked children nor has ever wanted children.

Client shared some information from her background during the intake process. She indicated that her mother became addicted to drugs and her father abandoned her and her siblings when she was 5 months old. She said her aunt and uncle decided to raise them, and she has lived with them and her cousins since then. She has no contact with her parents and considers her aunt and uncle her mother and father. nShe says her “parents” are very Christian and she knows they would kick her out if they found out she was pregnant. She said they would be angry because not only did she have sex when she wasn’t supposed to she ended up pregnant and that would be too much for them to deal with. She also was concerned about what her cousins would think of her.

During our conversation I offered that perhaps her “parents” would be upset about the pregnancy at the beginning but that they showed how much they valued life when they decided to parent her and her siblings. I also shared my testimony in hopes she would see a little of her circumstance in my experience. Although we discussed all her options it appeared the Client had already made up her mind to terminate the pregnancy. She was withdrawn, unresponsive, and unwilling to talk in length about a relationship with Christ or parenting her child.

Once the nurse came in to speak with the Client about her positive results I noted the Client was sitting with her feet flat on the ground and her hands balled up in fists in her lap. This type of body language indicated to me she was in the fight or flight state of mind. The Client declined the prenatal vitamins that were offered to her; however, she did make an appointment to return for an ultrasound to determine if the pregnancy was viable.

The Client returned on June 21, 2016 for an ultrasound. She stated that she had spoken with her boyfriend and let him know that she had decided to keep their child regardless of how he felt. We were happy for her and celebrated this decision with her. During the ultrasound she stated that she was afraid that something would happen. The nurse performed the ultrasound and everything was as it should be for how far along she was in her pregnancy.

On June 28, 2016, the Client called to inform us that she was cramping and having sharp pains. She said she had just used the bathroom and was bleeding. She was told to go to the emergency room and that we would be praying for her. The nurse called that evening, as well as on July 5th, but was unable to reach the Client. Prior to the end of July 5th I was able to contact the Client to see how she was. She informed me that she said she did in fact have a miscarriage on June 28th and that she was sad, but she was doing okay. We talked about her feelings and about how the miscarriage was not her fault. I spoke with her about abstinence and about being careful in the future to make sure this did not happen again. She assured me she would make changes in her life.