“It is ok to feel the way I am feeling” : Brooklyn’s Story

My husband and I always knew we wanted to have two children one day,

…but our journey was hard and the road was long. In March of 2019, I felt “off”. I remembered seeing a billboard sign for “Birthright” and “Pregnancy”. I went in, found out I was pregnant, and I had the biggest smile on my face! I couldn’t wait to tell my husband. While at Birthright I saw a licensed clinical social worker. She asked if it would be ok if she could check in with me periodically and reassured me that me and my husband could come in for counseling for anything

Four weeks later, I miscarried and needed surgery. The Birthright team asked if I wanted to come in and talk. I said yes. At that appointment I learned invaluable coping skills. I felt no judgment. I felt safe to cry and I felt validated. I experienced this unexpected, painful loss two more times within six months. Each time Birthright was there for me and reassured me that I am welcome to come as long as I felt I needed them. One time my husband came with me for counseling and when we left the first thing he said was, “Wow, that was really informative and amazing.”

On April 1st, 2020 my husband and I found out we were pregnant with a viable pregnancy, but I developed severe anxiety due to having miscarriages and chemical pregnancies. I texted Birthright and asked if I could come in for counseling. The counselor saw me as often as I needed. She reassured me that what I was feeling is normal and it is ok to feel how I am feeling. Birthright texted me each month to make sure that me and my husband were doing OK and reminded us to come in whenever we needed to and that they were thinking of us. My anxiety lessened and I felt more confident and more comfortable with being pregnant.

In December of 2020 our daughter was born. But after she was born, I developed severe postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. Again, I reached out to Birthright. Again, I felt validated, safe to cry and felt no judgment. At that time the pandemic was in full swing. Finding a counselor or a therapist wasn’t possible. My counselor offered to help me find a therapist and encouraged me to make as many phone appointments as I needed if I wanted to talk. And let me say I now know I needed Birthright more than I realized. A couple months later my husband and I became pregnant with our second daughter. I have a new baby at home, I am still suffering from postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, and now I am pregnant again. I cannot thank Birthright enough for opening their arms to us and helping us through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Birthright’s resources and team members are absolutely wonderful and very much needed. I thought last week where I would be right now if I did not look at that billboard and then drive straight there for a pregnancy test back in 2019. I recently looked at my three-year text message history of appointment reminders, words of encouragement, positive affirmations, check ins, and sent pictures from me to Birthright of my gorgeous daughters. Just imagine the power of positive, reassuring, prayerful, thoughtful, and reminding text messages. I cried happy tears just looking through the past text messages.

I could not tell you enough about the love and care I received from wonderful people and volunteers at this wonderful organization. Young women need a place to turn to when they are faced with big decisions. Couples need to know that they can come as they are and counseling is not only for women. The texting platform is essential for the girl who is scared or shy but can make an appointment despite being scared. I needed Birthright, my family needed Birthright, and many others will need Birthright, too.

While at Birthright, they actively listened to me each and every time, and provided me with the tools or skills I needed to move forward and overcome my struggles. I can honestly say, I am not sure what we would have done without Birthright’s support, love, and resources.

Every woman and couple deserve the same non-judgmental, loving, and amazing experience as we did.

YOU’RE NOT ALONE!

Birthright offers free pregnancy testing for all who need it. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit this link. If, like the author of this letter, you need counseling support throughout your pregnancy or any related events, feel free to reach out to our counselors for help. For information on our counseling services and to request a free, confidential counseling session, visit our counseling services page here.

No matter how you choose to contact us, a member of our team is standing by to help. Call or text us at (636)-724-1200, or email us at [email protected].

To request a free counseling session, fill out the required fields HERE.