The test is positive. There are so many questions swirling around in your head. How will this pregnancy news affect your family?
It can be difficult to face an unplanned pregnancy, much less think about how it might impact your family. Avenue Women’s Center is here to help. We provide services tailored to your unique situation such as free pregnancy tests, options counseling, and a pregnancy consultation with one of our caring client advocates. We also provide a safe place to process your pregnancy decision with an expert who has assisted women in similar circumstances. Don’t travel this road alone. Contact us today for an appointment.
If you are wondering how a pregnancy might impact your family, perhaps thoughts are running through your head like this:
“My parents have always had a plan for my future. Finish school, start my career, get married and then have children. This is definitely not what they had in mind. My mom will probably be angry and disappointed and my dad may not speak to me. He might even tell me to get out of the house. All the dreams they’ve had for me will be left behind. How can I do this to them?”
Or…“If my parents let me live at home, we’ll have to make a lot of adjustments. It’s been a long time since there was a baby in the house. Will the baby cry and keep everyone up at night or will he/she be a good sleeper? How about money? Will my parents want me to pay for groceries and rent? Will my mom watch my baby when I’m at school and working or will I need to look for daycare? How much help can I expect from them, or do I handle this all on my own?”
It’s very normal to feel this way. Having an unexpected pregnancy will definitely affect your family, but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. If you decide to share the news with them, here a few tips to help:
Talk everything over calmly with your parents. Listen carefully to their concerns and wishes. Come up with compromises and next steps as a family. This experience can draw you closer if you work together. Your parents will respect you for handling a difficult situation with maturity. If you have siblings at home they will see that you’ve taken responsibility for your circumstances. You can definitely be a role model for them.
As much as you may wish that this situation would go away, unfortunately, there is no magic wand. Pregnancy is something that will impact not only yourself, but also those around you. However, you have the option to choose how you would like to move forward. Although the decision is a difficult one, the fact that you are concerned about how it may impact your family shows that you want it all to turn out for the best in the end.
In order to process through the best decision for you, Avenue Women’s Center offers private, informative pregnancy consultations with our caring, nonjudgmental client advocates. If you’d like to speak to someone who is not directly impacted by your decision, our expert staff can help. Contact us today via phone, chat, text, or email to set up an appointment at one of our five DuPage County locations: Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn / Lombard, Naperville, West Chicago, and Wood Dale, IL. We look forward to hearing from you!
The information provided here is general in nature. It is not a substitute for a consultation with a medical professional. Before any medical procedure, it is imperative that you discuss your personal medical history, risks, and concerns with your doctor. If you have questions during or after a procedure, your doctor should be immediately contacted. Avenue Women’s Center is not an emergency center. If you are experiencing severe symptoms, such as bleeding and/or pain, seek immediate medical attention. Contact your physician, go to an emergency room, or call 911.