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Vanessa* was feeling nervous when she came to Atwell Centre. Her period was late by two weeks and she needed someone to talk to.
Her boyfriend, Mark,* did not want to have a baby at that time in his life. There were other things he wanted to accomplish first. She understood his feelings but wanted to learn more about her pregnancy options before making a decision. She was met by one of our registered nurses, who walked Vanessa through all the pregnancy options available to her in Canada and explained to Vanessa her right to make her own decision.
After taking another test at the centre to confirm her pregnancy, Vanessa was offered the option to have an ultrasound. Vanessa decided this was something she would like. Seeing the screen gave her a better understanding of what was happening inside of her and gave her more tools to make an informed decision.
There, on the table, Vanessa chose to continue with her pregnancy.
The next week, Vanessa brought in her boyfriend, Mark, to see the images on the screen for himself. When Mark saw the heartbeat, he gasped and said, "is that real? It already has a heartbeat?!" Turning to Vanessa, he said, "I can understand why you want to keep this pregnancy. Lets talk more about how we can do this together."
Is that real? It already has a heartbeat?!
From there, we gave Vanessa and Mark resources for prenatal education and care for a healthy pregnancy. They also took part in our Pregnancy & Beyond program, where they met bi-monthly with a nurse during Vanessa's pregnancy. When Samuel* was born, they were given a welcome baby basket full of newborn and self-care items for Vanessa. We regularly see Vanessa and little Samuel at our baby boutique, where they access clothes, diapers, and wipes.
Vanessa, a young woman who felt indecisive and nervous, made a confident decision through the information, education, and compassionate care that Atwell provided during her time of crisis.
*Names have been changed to protect individuals identity.
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