I think one of the biggest fears in pregnancy is losing your baby.

Are you pregnant and have that fear?

If you are, let’s talk about what a miscarriage is and what to expect. 

What is a miscarriage?

A miscarriage is when you lose a pregnancy and 8 out of 10 miscarriages happen before the 20h week of pregnancy. 

Do you think you may be pregnant and afraid to tell your parents?

Some concerns and questions you may have are…
   
   What will they think of me?  
     How will they react?
       Will they disown me?   
          Will they punish me?
            Will they kick me out of the house?
               Will they make me give my baby away?

Listen, I get it, I was there.  I found myself pregnant at 17 years of age and hid it from my parents for 6 months.  This is not a good idea, because early prenatal care is crucial.

I had many concerns and questions and didn’t want to tell my parents either. I think my biggest fear out of all those listed above was…what would think of me?  They raised me to do the right thing, but yet I failed.  Have I let them down?

Something to think about…

Are you pregnant and your parents have kicked you out and you have no emotional and financial support?

     Are you pregnant and living in an abusive situation, but have nowhere to go if you leave?

          Are you pregnant and having a hard time making ends meet and are risking getting evicted?

Maybe you have an unexpected pregnancy and you feel there’s no one to            support you.

          The father of the baby is ignoring you.  Wants you to get an abortion.              

              Or                  

                     Your parents are upset that you are pregnant and want you to find another place of live.

You just found out you’re pregnant!

    You’re scared!

          You can’t have a baby right now!

                 What are my options?

If you’re thinking about the abortion pill, do you know how it works?

There are 10 things you need to consider before getting an abortion.

1. AM I PREGNANT?

             Home test are not always accurate, so it is important to have a test done by a professional.  An ultrasound can tell if the baby has a heartbeat and how far along you are.

2. DO I UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL RISKS?

     As with any medical procedure abortion does come with some risks.  These risks can be physical, emotional and even relational.

Another Friday night with nothing to do…

     Are you tired of doing the same thing every Friday night?

Going to the dinner, going to the movies, hanging with friends, going to dinner, going to the movies, hanging with friends, going to dinner, going to the movies, hanging with friends…

You are out with your boyfriend and one thing leads to another and next thing you know you have had sex.  Unprotected sex. Oh no!  Your mind starts racing. Did I become pregnant? The fear is overwhelming and it’s consuming.  I just want to encourage you to…

     - take a deep breath

     - slow your mind down

Let’s talk this through and look at some facts first.

Is your cycle regular?

 Do you have one every month?

Because usually during a woman’s menstrual cycle there are six days when a woman can conceive.  This “fertile window” is five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.  So that means there are a total of six days in a woman’s monthly cycle in which she can become pregnant.

So you may be wondering, what is ovulation?  Ovulation is a phase of the female menstrual cycle that involves the release of an egg from one of the ovaries.  It generally occurs about two weeks after the first day of your last cycle and can last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.

If you have unprotected sex before or during the ovulation period, there is a greater chance of conceiving.  This is because sperm can survive up to 5 days in the cervix.

Try to think back…when was the first day of your last cycle?   If you just had your period or if your period is about to start, chances are you could not become pregnant because you are not in that “fertile window” of time.

If you have any questions or concerns, please text us at 417-456-9437.

Finding out you have an unplanned pregnancy can bring on a whirlwind of emotions.  I had one of those unplanned pregnancies.  I WAS SCARED TO DEATH!  Afraid I’d lose my boyfriend, that my parents would kill me J, what would my extended friends and family think of me, could I finish high school and my church family…oh how I hated disappointing them.  So, I hid my pregnancy 6 months in fear until one day my mom asked me if I was pregnant. 

  Are you carrying the burden of an unplanned pregnancy?

       Afraid to tell anyone?

           Are you fearful that someone will want you to get an abortion?

Please know that you have a voice regarding your pregnancy.  The hardest decisions aren’t always the easiest.

For your health and safety, it is important to get the facts before taking any medication. No matter what the medication is… Tylenol, antibiotics or even vitamins. Everyone is different and our bodies react to things differently. The same is true before taking the abortion pill, please read the following before taking.

A woman should not take Mifeprex, abortion pill, if it has been more than

70 days since the first day of her last menstrual period, or if she:

• has an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside of the uterus)
• has problems with the adrenal glands (the glands near the kidneys)
• is currently being treated with long-term corticosteroid therapy

(medications)

Positive home pregnancy test?

     Not what you were hoping for?

           Are you thinking abortion is your best option?

          First you will need a pregnancy test.  However over the counter test are not always accurate and it’s possible to get a false positive.  Here at Care Net PRC of Neosho, we have lab-quality pregnancy test that are 99.9% accurate.    If you are not pregnant, then there is no need to get an abortion and suffer the harsh side effects. 

          The second thing is to get an ultrasound. This is a common procedure that serves several purposes.

1. Confirms that you are pregnant. It is also a known fact that 1 out of 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage. During the sonogram the trained nurse can see if it is viable pregnancy and growing in the uterus.  If it looks like the fetus may not survive, it would be unnecessary to take the route of an abortion.

There are three types of abortions…

• The Abortion Pill
• Surgical Abortion (suction)
• Late Term Abortion 

In this blog we are going to cover the 3^rd type of abortion (Late Term) and what to expect. 

Late term abortions are performed after 22 weeks from the LMP (Last Menstrual Period).  This procedure takes approximately 2-3 days and is at greater risk to the life and health of the mother.

A lethal injection of a medication (Digoxin or potassium chloride) may be injected directly into the baby’s head, the amniotic fluid, umbilical cord or directly into the fetal heart to end the baby’s life and to avoid delivery of a live baby.  The Cervix is softened using luminaria or a vaginal medication for 2-3 days prior.  Delivery is then induced which could last up to 10 to 24 hours and then the dead baby is delivered.  Occasionally, the uterus must be scraped to remove the placenta. 

As with any surgery, it comes with its risks.  The longer you wait to have an abortion the greater the risks and serious complications such as: 

It seems nowadays we love the convenience of getting things through the mail or delivered to our doorstep.  Who doesn’t like seeing the Amazon truck pull up in our drive as we patiently wait for him to exit his truck and place that prize package at our doorstep?  As soon as he turns around, we throw open that door and grab it like a kid at Christmas to see what we bought. 

The abortion pill delivered through the mail is one of those conveniences, but before ordering you need to make sure you know the facts.  Please know that when ordering drugs online there can be risks involved. According to the FDA, purchasing online medication from unknown sources can be unsafe and it is unknown what is in the pills because they are not subject to the FDA manufacturing controls. 

The abortion pill consist of two (2) different pills, Mifepristone and Misoprostol and must be taken within 10 weeks of pregnancy. Past that time frame, a surgical abortion is required. 

Before you consider ordering online, the first thing you need to do is make sure you’re pregnant.  Here at Care Net PRC of Neosho, our test are 99.9% accurate.  If you are not pregnant, why take a needless pill and suffer the side effects such as...severe cramping, bleeding, nausea, fever, chills, vomiting, headaches, diarrhea and dizziness.  Also it’s important to get an ultrasound to make sure it is not an ectopic pregnancy and to confirm you are not naturally miscarrying the pregnancy.   If you are having an ectopic pregnancy or miscarrying, the pill does you no good. 

Some questions you should ask yourself before ordering online is:

Is your girlfriend pregnant?

     Is she considering an abortion?

          Do you feel you don’t have a say in the matter?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, let me tell you, you do have say.

Have you found yourself in one or more of these situations?

1. Pregnant and you know morally abortion is out of the question.
2. Financially you just can’t afford to raise a baby on your own.
3. You already have a child or children and you feel they might be better off being raised by another family.

There are three types of adoptions:

• Open
• Partially Open
• Confidential

Open Adoption

1. You as the Mother can choose the family to raise your baby.
2. Open adoption means you can keep in contact with them through communication, letters, pictures, phone calls and even visits.

Partially Open

1. With this option you can choose what kind of family you would like to raise your baby.
2. However, unlike open adoption where you can have personal contact with the family, you will be working through an adoption agency or an adoption lawyer to find out how your child is doing through pictures or letters. You usually will not know your child’s full name or location.

Confidential Adoption

It seems couples are living together before marriage more than ever.  Is that a wise decision?  Let’s look at the pros and cons of MARRIAGE VS LIVING TOGETHER.

MARRIED PEOPLE…

• …ARE HAPPIER!
• …ARE BETTER OFF FINANCIALLY.
• …ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL AT WORK.
• …HAVE A BETTER SEX LIFE.
• …FIGHT LESS.
• …TEND TO BE BETTER PARENTS.

LIVING TOGETHER…

• …TWICE AS LIKELY TO HAVE AFFAIRS.
• …MORE LIKELY TO BREAK UP.
• …MORE LIKELY TO LIVE IN POVERTY.
• …MORE LIKELY TO HAVE CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVORIAL PROBLEMS.
• …LESS LIKELY TO MARRY AND STAY MARRIED.

I was pregnant and didn’t know what to do.  One day I wanted to have the baby and the next day I didn’t.  Looking back, I realize now that I was on an emotional seesaw.  This went on for weeks until I finally decided on abortion.  I was 12 weeks pregnant, my clothes were getting tight and I was starting to show.

I arrived at the clinic in the morning.  It was a beautiful day in April.  I checked in, paid and waited with a group of 6–8 women in the waiting area.  We were called back into another room and given a pill to relax us.  One by one we were called to go down the hall to the room where they performed abortions.

As I sat in the room with the other women waiting for my name to be called, I changed my mind.  I told the nurse and walked outside.  The nurse followed me and we sat down in a patio area.  She told me that I had to get an abortion and there were no other options for me.  Reluctantly, I went back in and immediately they took me into the procedure room.  I remember a poster on the ceiling, a cat hanging from a branch with the words “Hang in there.”  I also remember the vacuum noise and the pain.  The man performing the abortion was very cold and the procedure was very quick.  Next thing I knew I was sitting in a recovery area alone eating saltine crackers with cramps and bleeding. 

You may be considering a surgical abortion, but have no idea what is involved or what to expect.  Before making this decision it’s important to know the process and potential risks.

          WHEN: Up to 14 weeks LMP (last menstrual period)

                WHAT: Suction/Aspiration

                       HOW:  For surgical abortions performed while you are 4 to 7 weeks from LMP, a thin plastic tube will be inserted into the uterus and attached to a vacuum that will suction the fetus out.  Local anesthesia may be given to help reduce the pain, but sedation may also be given.

Well if you’re like me, you may know very little about STDs. When I started working at Care Net of Neosho, I couldn’t even pronounce the names let alone know what each one was.  Let’s get educated together…the name, how it’s transmitted, symptoms and treatment.

STDs are usually transmitted through sexual contact, including through bodily fluids or skin contact via vaginal, oral, and anal sex.

• Chlamydia – is the most common bacterial STD in men and women. Most infected people do not have symptoms – making it very important to get tested.  If symptoms are present, women may have a change in vaginal discharge or unusual vaginal bleeding.  Men can have painful urination, a penile discharge, or in men who have sex with men, rectal pain or discharge.  Chlamydia can be cured with treatment. Overtime, if chlamydia is not treated, it can cause serious damage to a woman’s reproductive system including making it more difficult to get pregnant and increasing the risk for a future ectopic pregnancy which I discussed on my last blog. 
• Gonorrhea – is a common bacterial STD. Most infected people do not have symptoms – making it very important to get tested.  If symptoms are present, women often have a vaginal discharge or unusual vaginal bleeding. Men can have painful urination, a penile discharge or in men who have sex with men rectal pain or discharge. Gonorrhea can cause complications if left untreated.  It can be cured with medication.
• Hepatitis – is a serious disease that can harm the liver. It is caused by a virus that can spread from person to person when their body fluids touch. This can happen in a few ways, like having sex or sharing needles. 
• Trichomoniasis- is caused by a parasite and is among the most common STD transmitted infection and affects men and women. Risk factors include multiple sexual partners and not using condoms during sex. Often people do not have any symptoms, but if they do, women can have vaginal irritation and discharge and men can have discharge from the penis or painful urination.  It can be cured with medication.
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – is a virus that can cause skin warts, genital warts and some forms of    cancer. People can get infected by having sex or genital contact.  Most people do not know they are infected and most infections resolve on their own without treatment.  However, if an infection with a high-risk type persists, it can cause oral cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer, mouth and throat in both men and women.

When a pap test is done to detect cervical cancer, an HPV test can be done at the same time if needed.  There is no test for genital HPV in men. There is also no test for HPV in the mouth or throat. There is a HPV vaccine to prevent most high-risk infections. 

• Herpes – is a common STD caused by the herpes simplex virus. It can cause sores and blisters on the mouth and/or genitals or it can be present with no symptoms at all.  If sores are present, testing can be done from the fluid or a blood sample can show if a person has been exposed.  There is no cure for herpes but medication can be used to suppress it. 
• Syphilis – is a bacterial STD that is increasing in the United States. It is usually contracted after coming into direct contact with an infected sore during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.  If untreated, it can cause serious health problems.
• HIV – stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection.  There is no effective cure but it can be managed with medications.

HIV is spread through blood, semen, or vaginal fluids from an infected person’s body, through sexual contact, needle sharing or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.  It can be detected through a blood test.

Well, I’ve been a little more educated, how about you?  If you are reading this blog and are concerned you may have been exposed to a STD, please call Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center at 415.455.0100 to be tested.  We can perform Gonorrhea or Chlamydia testing anytime we are open by taking a urine sample or if you suspect you’ve been exposed to HIV or Syphilis, call and schedule an appointment for a blood draw.