Guide to Informed Choices
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detrimental. 211 Your baby is going through a very sensitive period of development and brain growth and needs all the help she can get. Once you find out you are pregnant it‘s I W
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best to stop using stimulants. And remember, there‘s never a better day to stop than today. If you need friendly support in quitting a habit, look in your local directory for Alcoholics Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous or whatever group you need. Be aware that some medications and prescription drugs could cause birth defects in your baby. Many women worry that medication they have taken before they knew they were pregnant may have harmed the baby. The good news is that when women discover their missed period the embryo is just implanting, and so up to that time will have had no direct contact with whatever is in your bloodstream. 212 So,
the message is, check as soon as you know you‘re pregnant. Always read the labels carefully and call your health care provider if you become pregnant while taking medication.
Medical Care hen it comes to medical care you will want to make sure that you have
some medical
insurance, as certain pregnancy expenses are indeed expensive! If your parents have insurance, check to see if you‘re covered for prenatal care. If that doesn‘t work and you can‘t afford your own insurance, you may be eligible for Medicaid, a government insurance for low-income individuals. (Your child would also be covered if you have Medicaid during pregnancy.) Regular medical checkups during pregnancy are always a good idea.
Food and all that good stuff e still have to eat, right? If you find yourself alone or simply need some extra help at this time in your life, there are government programs as well as charities that offer helpful services. These include the Women, Infant and Children Program and the Food Stamp Program
(recently renamed
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP for short). The Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC) is government run and focuses on
providing vouchers for nutritious foods to low-income mothers as well as any children they may have up to 5 years of age. SNAP is another government program, also for low-income individuals. If you are eligible you will be issued with an electronic card or a number of vouchers that you can use in local stores to buy basic food items. For emergency help call a women‘s shelter (see the resource section in this book). W
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Reality Check Getting government assistance when you need it does not imply you will be stuck to it forever.
Baby Supplies aby Clothes. Blankets. Diapers. Car Seat. Baby carrier. Toys. High Chair. There is a lot to get! Fortunately, not everything is needed right away for a newborn. Here are some tips on how to make the best out of what you have:
(Girls, we are professionals at this!)
Visit your local Goodwill stores for bargains and occasional treasures. They are not all cheap looking. One store near me has an almost wall-to-wall rack of color-coded baby clothing.
Try a second hand or consignment store for gently used items. You‘ll pay more than Goodwill but the quality will be better in general.
warmer months there are garage sales every Saturday where I live and they often have kid‘s clothing or toys.
Craigslist ( www.craigslist.org ) is another good place to check. You can often pick up quality items cheaply which other parents no longer need. (I just looked, and my area had quite a lot of maternity clothes, baby carriers, cloth and disposable diapers and other items. I know where I‘ll be shopping one day!)
flyers and baby magazines.
Last but definitely not least, call your local pregnancy centers to find out how they can help (see www.optionline.org ). I volunteer at one and we have a room full of baby clothes, diapers and other baby items. We also have used baby furniture. Anyone sincerely in need goes away from our place with a nice bag or bags full of stuff.
Paternity Testing f the father wants to prove it‘s his child, or you‘re not totally certain, you can obtain a DNA paternity test. This is often done after birth and it is safer that way. The DNA test is typically performed with samples from the mother, father and baby. An example of an online company that offers legally recognized paternity testing is www.paternitytesters.com. A good DNA test is pretty expensive ($400- $500) but it‘s worth having if you want it to be recognized legally. If the father of your child has left you without support, he is
legally responsible for providing some child support out of his paycheck. The Department of Health and Human Services can help you establish paternity and get B I
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child support. For more information go to their Office of Child Support Enforcement website
www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cse Federal office of child support enforcement.
Remember to check out Reason #38: You are not alone and Reason #24 It‘s better to be alive with one parent than dead with two for more practical ideas!
Getting informed hanges are happening to your body and your life. It‘s important that you understand them
and feel
comfortable with them. Find out more about pregnancy through the Internet, your local library, doctor, pregnancy center, or other moms. If you are close to a relative like your grandma, she can often be a wellspring of love and good advice. One of the many good sites out there to follow your baby‘s development week by week is www.pregnancyguideonline.com. Knowledge is important. It will empower you and increase your confidence as well as lessen your fears. Knowledge will prepare you for the future.
It all works out in the end nce you
have figured
the practicalities like paying the bills, sorting out your new life and getting emotionally geared towards having this baby, you can start enjoying being a mom right now. Know that your job is the most important job in the world. While it‘s challenging, it‘s also rewarding; but then, when have you ever achieved greatness without some hard work? Today there are so many available resources that issues with finances, education, accommodation, parenting skills or even employment can be overcome. Don‘t be forced into something you don‘t want to do. There are people who want to help you make it work. If you choose, you can do this.
Still uncertain? You can go through a free online workbook: www.choicetolivewith.com . You can submit your responses for free personalized advice or just keep them to yourself.
Can‘t do it yourself but don‘t know where to turn? You can go to www.optionline.org and speak with someone 24/7 if you are desperate or just want to talk about any pregnancy problem, question, or need. These are trained volunteers who will listen to you and connect you with whatever help you need.
Need some follow-up information? C O
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Don‘t forget the resource section of this book where there are websites or other contacts for most things we talked about in this section.
Reason #19 ―You have alternatives and resources available for you‖ Reason #20 There is a plan
God has a plan for you For I know the plans I have for you," declares the L ORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. —Jeremiah 29:11
erhaps you‘re wondering what good can possibly come out of your situation. Remember that God is good and has plans for you. Plans of hope. Plans to prosper you and bring you every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). Plans to bless you abundantly, even more than you can imagine (Eph. 3:20). With God, all things are possible (Mt. 19:26). God says to you, each one, call to me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things which you do not know (Jer. 33:3). So, you know that God has plans for your happiness, but could they involve children? Sometimes that revelation can come as news as it did to RaNelle. Suffering from severe burns gained when her airplane caught fire, she was lingering between life and death. Speeding to the hospital in an ambulance, RaNelle left her body. She P
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found herself reunited with her
grandmother in a place of heavenly love and beauty. Needless to say, she did not want to return to earth life or her painful burns! Then she was shown a boy named Nathaniel. I‘ll let her take over:
―Why are you here?‖ he said almost in disbelief. As I remained silent, his disbelief changed to grief and he began crying. ―What‘s the matter?‖ I asked. ―Why are you crying?‖ I put my arms around him, trying to comfort him. ―Why are you here?‖ he repeated. Then I understood that my refusal to go back to earth was causing his sadness. I belonged on earth for him. I understood, and I immediately felt guilt for my selfishness. His name was Nathaniel, and he hadn‘t been born on earth yet. He said that if I didn‘t go back, his own mission would be hindered. Then he showed me his mission, and I saw that I was to open doors for him, to help him, to encourage him. ―I will complete of much of my mission as I can,‖ he said, ―but I will never fulfill it without you. I need you.‖ ―I thought my heart would break. I was a part of his life puzzle and I was hurting him and everyone he would help by refusing to go back to earth. I felt a great love for this young man and I wanted to help him in any way I could. ―Oh, Nathaniel,‖ I said, ―I swear to you that I will help you. I will go back, and I promise that I will do everything I can to do my part. I will open those doors for you. I will protect and encourage you. I will give you everything I have. Nathaniel, you will complete your mission. I love you.‖
puzzle‖
His grief was replaced with gratitude. His face lit up, and I saw the great spirit that he was. He was crying now with gratitude and joy. ―Thank you,‖ he said. ―Oh, I love you.‖ My grandmother took my hand and drew me away. Nathaniel watched me leave, still smiling and I distinctly heard him say, ―I love you, Mom.‖ My spirit was thrilled, but I couldn‘t respond to him, as things began happening very quickly. ―RaNelle,‖ Grandmother said, ―there is one more thing I need to say to you. Tell everybody the key is love.‖ ―The key is love,‖ she repeated. ―The key is love,‖ she said a third time. Then she let go of my hand, and the word love reverberated in my mind as I left her and fell into a deep blackness. I was crying as I left the world of light and glory and love. 213
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RaNelle‘s beautiful story is completed when 3 years later, despite her doctor‘s prognosis, she gave birth to a son whom she named Nathanial, of course. God may have many plans for us, and often our families are part of that plan. Now let‘s look at your child‘s plan.
Your child also has a plan Bible Quote ―There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die.‖ —Eccl. 3:1-2
n the Bible we find that an individual‘s purpose is often ordained even before birth. Jeremiah and John the Baptist are two examples of prophets whose role was clear even before birth (Jer. 1:5; Lk. 1:14- 17). And of course, Jesus is another (Lk. 1:32). But these examples are not alone. Your unborn child also has a life plan. So do you, of course. Everyone does, even if they aren‘t aware of it. Speaking of plans, some spiritual folks like to believe that since the soul exists before birth that abortion is just a delay and that he could simply come back at a later time.
214 There are a few problems with this. Firstly, that way of thinking ignores that each soul may come in with a specific plan and path for their life or that their parents, birthplace or time or genetics were specifically chosen for them. I don‘t think our lives are random accidents. Second, there aren‘t necessarily any spare families out there to provide for those 40 million souls aborted since abortion was legalized. And lastly and perhaps most importantly, if abortion can be justified because the soul may have another chance, then child murder would have to be justified on the very same basis. 215
all powerful He could have stopped the pregnancy in the first place, thereby preventing an abortion, if he‘d wanted to and that that since He didn‘t intercede that maybe the soul just wasn‘t ready to be born yet.
216 Yet — even if God meddled with your free
choice or
the natural
consequences of actions, how is God to know
which pregnancies you will
ultimately abort? Besides, that‘s like saying there‘s someone in my life that I don‘t get along with; and since God didn‘t prevent them from being there, it is okay for me to remove them. Do you seriously think that with all the intelligent design and geometry in the universe that your life or your baby‘s is just a random accident of timing? I personally believe that God has a timetable for each soul that works perfectly with His larger scheme of things. Abortion, being foreign I
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to that plan, could mess things up. Now, don‘t get me wrong. I‘m sure God can make adjustments — but I don‘t believe that God intends or wants us to interfere with His plans like that. Who knows what the consequences might be for the individual and for the planet as a whole? (See also Reason #28: God will forgive, but there are still consequences
and
Reason #57: Why should God bless America when we kill His children? )
I think it‘s interesting that unusual sources — such as hypnosis and Near Death Experiences (NDEs), seem to confirm this idea that there is a set timetable for us. In the first instance, psychologist Helen Wambach found that while most of her patients recalled freely choosing to be born, a number were reluctant to leave their place of comfort. 217
Evidently God won.
This suggests that we have a choice but God has the final say. In the NDE, in between death the man found himself basking in God‘s light. He said he would have stayed up there, if he could. ―And I came back. I didn‘t want to, but God didn‘t want me up there either. And standing in the presence of divine power, it was clearly his decision, not mine!
I was sent back, reminded that I have a mission in life. I know that I have a destiny!‖ 218
wrong because it just stops someone from coming into the world. There will always be another person. But this isn‘t true. We don‘t just start out as a blank blob of personality. Every soul is unique from the start. Just ask any mother of identical twins.
Reason #20 ―You‘re child has a plan to fulfill on earth‖
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Reason #21 To fulfill her plan your child needs to be born
who are aborted? Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these; 'It might have been.' 219
bviously with abortion not all children who are conceived are born. So, what happens to them? Since they are spirits they do not cease to exist. I believe that they continue their existence with God, waiting for a reassignment to another family. Suzanne saw where these children go when she nearly died during a miscarriage. While her body hovered between life and death, her soul went to heaven. Amongst many things that she was shown, she saw heavenly gardens where the souls who are aborted go to wait reassignment and heal from the ordeal. In the gardens the aborted souls appeared as children, and many seemed healed and full of love. When a new soul came to join them they became sad, but they all cheered when one among them found a family to go to. This is a fraction of Suzanne‘s experience in heaven: I saw two children sitting on a park bench with no back. A little boy with dusty blond hair was crying and a little girl with curly blond hair and a cute white dress was comforting him. Although she too was sad, she seemed more concerned about his needs than her own. I walked over and inquired, ―Why are you crying?‖ ―My mom did not want me and I‘m a castoff.‖ It melted my heart. I have never seen children cry so. I said, ―Oh, don‘t cry, you can be my children.‖ Quickly I glanced at Jesus with an ―Oops, I probably shouldn‘t have said that.‖ He flashed a huge smile and nodded. ―Of course.‖ The children jumped up and hugged me, ―Thank you! Thank you!‖ Reassured, they ran off to play. 220
different source seems to confirm that aborted babies are taken to a beautiful heavenly place when they die. The source? The dreams of an abortionist! Yes, after 26 years known as the most renowned abortionist in Serbia, Stojan Adasevic turned his life around — all because of the Yüklə 4,63 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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