Hearing your girlfriend tell you she’s pregnant may bring out a lot of emotions. Chances are she was just as stunned as you are. Breaking the news to someone about a surprise pregnancy takes courage.
While your first reaction might have been one of regret or disappointment or fear, you’re reading this because you care about this young woman in your life. From this point forward, there will be lots of decisions. Your support is sure to be appreciated.
You Have Three Choices Regarding Pregnancy
The first decision will be about how to proceed. She can:
- Keep the baby and become a parent
There’s no doubt, parenting is a tough job. It can also be one of the most rewarding experiences of your lifetime, if you’re ready. If your girlfriend and you are thinking about keeping the baby, there are resources to help.
From low-cost doctors and other medical services to child care assistance, Gateway Women’s Care has a list of agencies that offer help in situations like your girlfriend’s.
- Make an alternate parenting plan for your baby
If you or your girlfriend don’t want to terminate the pregnancy but are also not ready to be a parent, choosing an alternate parenting plan can be a good option. There are many good, loving people who wait a long time to raise a baby and there are several different types of parenting/adoption plans available to you and your girlfriend. You get to choose the type of adoption plan, the adopting parents and also the amount of involvement you want in your child’s life. Investigating this option may bring the answer she’s looking for.
- Have an abortion
If considering an abortion, it’s important to remember that this is a medical procedure. Like most procedures, there are risks involved. There are also choices that you and your girlfriend will need to make.
There are four types of abortion options that depend on how far along your girlfriend is in her pregnancy. They are:
- 1st Trimester Medication Abortion Methods (includes the Abortion Pill)
- 1st Trimester Surgical Abortion Methods
- 2nd Trimester Methods
- Late-term Methods
There are also known short-term and long-term side effects that should be considered before making a final decision.
In addition, the state of North Carolina requires that every woman has the right to know exactly what’s involved with the abortion procedure at least 72 hours before having an abortion.
You can also get more information about all these pregnancy options on our website.
Confirm the Pregnancy
Before going any further, you’ll want to confirm that your girlfriend is, in fact, pregnant, if she hasn’t done so already. Because the symptoms of pregnancy can sometimes be the signs of many other conditions, some girls assume they are pregnant when they aren’t.
Gateway Women’s Care provides free, lab-certified pregnancy tests administered by skilled professionals. We have nurses on hand to answer all of your questions.
Call today – our Raleigh office at 919-833-0096 or Durham office at 919-251-9444 or Chapel Hill Office at 919-537-822.
