Beauty is a young widowed mother who came to CompassCare pregnant from a new boyfriend. “A good man, he loves me really well.” Beauty has experienced complications with other pregnancies. As a single mother fear drove her to think abortion was the solution. She came to CompassCare with this new pregnancy, desperate to avoid a tragedy.
Beauty’s ultrasound showed she was too early to confirm viability of her pregnancy with a heartbeat. Afterward, she and her boyfriend listened intently as the nurse gave them information about abortion. Her face revealed her grief as she shared the story of her last pregnancy and the baby’s passing. She had sensed something was wrong in her last month and had sought her doctor’s help. They assured her everything looked OK and sent her home, despite Beauty begging to stay in the hospital.
When labor started, she rushed to the hospital, hoping the baby was alright. All she remembers after that is waking up in the ICU to a nurse telling her that her baby died and she almost did too. She confided that this traumatic memory replays in her mind every day as she contemplates this new pregnancy. As her nurse listened to this disastrous story, it seemed that Beauty was wrestling between the “controlled loss” of abortion or the prospect of an uncontrolled loss from another stillbirth.
Beauty’s emotions were raw telling her nurse she wasn’t completely comfortable with an abortion, as she can’t see how she could lose a baby and decide to kill another. She had been praying and praying, asking God to show her what to do. As her nurse shared the gospel and prayed for her the Holy Spirit’s presence seemed palpable. Beauty listened eagerly to the Gospel and yielded her life and will to Jesus. She agreed to take some time to process and pray. When Beauty returned two weeks later, her face was full of peace. She came in, sat down, and said she had decided to continue her pregnancy. As she and her nurse watched the ultrasound screen together, they saw a strong, healthy heartbeat.
When her nurse asked what it was that gave her the courage to continue, she replied, “I never ever had a nurse who prayed for me in an appointment before.” She believed God had brought her to CompassCare to receive His direction for her pregnancy. As they celebrated His goodness together, her nurse shared some local resources with her: a pregnancy loss organization, grief counselors in her area, and an OB/GYN that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Beauty planned to connect with them, especially the high-risk doctor. Grateful for her new friends at CompassCare, Beauty asked if she could stay connected with her nurse in the coming months. The answer was a resounding, “Yes!”
Disclaimer: Names and details have been changed to protect patient confidentiality.
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