Janice came to CompassCare for an initial pregnancy appointment. She lives at home and is finishing up her senior year of high school. Janice came to the appointment with her friend’s mom.
The tears started during her ultrasound as she stared at her active nine week old baby on the screen. And the tears kept coming the rest of the appointment as Janice wrestled with the implications of her situation. She left this first appointment undecided about what to do.
The following week Janice came for a second appointment by herself. She shared in more depth why she can’t continue her pregnancy: school, plans for the future, financial difficulties, and her boyfriend wants her to get an abortion. Her nurse realizing how much Janice needed help sorting through her circumstances was encouraging her to come back as many times as she needed. Janice confessed to having an abortion appointment scheduled at Planned Parenthood the following week. Her nurse talked with her about cancelling so that she could have more time to figure out what she really wanted to do.
The Planned Parenthood appointment was cancelled and Janice came in for her third appointment with a close friend this time. Her friend really engaged with the baby during the ultrasound, oohing and aahing over his movements and shape. Before leaving, Janice agreed to come back another visit and possibly bring her boyfriend.
Janice’s fourth appointment involved doing another ultrasound, thankfully the boyfriend present for this one. He was clearly overwhelmed by the whole situation and the room was thick with tension. Her nurse had the opportunity to go over the abortion risks and side-effects information again, with him present. Although he said very little during the appointment, it allowed for more time and conversation between him and Janice, who was still determined to get an abortion.
Janice and her boyfriend came in for a fifth appointment and went over in some details the tensions causing them to consider abortion. Janice’s nurse took the opportunity to have a separate conversation with the boyfriend and hear what he was thinking. The fact that he came back was a good sign.
Janice, now over 13 weeks pregnant at this point, came in for her sixth and final appointment. She came with her boyfriend again and it was immediately obvious that their attitudes had changed. They were light-hearted and laughing together. Near the end of the appointment, Janice’s nurse asked them what their plans were for this pregnancy. Janice and her boyfriend looked at each other and excitedly announced they were planning to carry to term!
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