Am I Ready For A Baby?
November 3, 2018
It’s one of the biggest decisions of your life — are you ready for a baby?
Maybe you’re considering becoming pregnant, and you’re wondering if now is the right time.
Some people say there’s never a perfect time to have a baby. They say if you wait until you’re completely ready, you’ll never have a baby. That may be true, but there are usually times when people feel more ready than not.
Though many people may have opinions about when you’re ready or when you’re not, nobody can make this decision for you. You know yourself better than anyone, and you’re the only one who can know if you’re ready or not.
If you are trying to decide if now is the time to get pregnant and start a family, we’ve put together this list of questions that might help you as you figure it out.
- When you think about having a baby, do you feel mostly happy? Notice your emotions when you think about having a baby. If you feel mostly happy, that’s a sign you might be ready. If you feel a lot of anxiety or panic or if you feel really upset at the thought, then maybe you’re not there yet.
- Are you taking care of yourself – physically and emotionally? Do you try to eat healthy and exercise? Do you go to the doctor for regular check-ups? Are you in a good place emotionally and mentally? It’s difficult to take care of a baby if you aren’t taking care of yourself. A good first step to being ready for a baby is to take good care of you.
- Are you in a loving, stable relationship? Some people think having a baby will fix a troubled relationship. That just isn’t true. Having a baby can be really stressful — a baby brings new worries and loss of sleep and financial concerns. All of those things can stress even a really healthy relationship, and they can wreck a relationship that’s already in trouble. You deserve to have a healthy relationship, and your future children deserve to come into a stable home. If your relationship is strained, maybe you could see a counselor to strengthen your relationship before you bring a baby into the mix.
- Do you have a support system in place? You know that old saying, It takes a village to raise a baby? It’s completely true. Sometimes, you’ll need help, so it’s important to have a support system in your life — whether it’s your family or some close friends or people from church or you neighborhood.
- Are you willing to make sacrifices? Once you have a baby, your life isn’t only about you. Having a child means changing your priorities about how to spend your time and your money. Even your own body will be sacrificed to grow a baby inside and to take care of that baby after he or she is born. Are you ready to make those sacrifices?
- How will having a baby affect your career? Do you have maternity leave? Do you have role models or a mentor for balancing a career and a baby? Will your working conditions affect your ability to safely carry a baby to term? Of course, you don’t have to make a huge decision about your career for the next 18 years, but it’s important to figure out how your job might affect having a baby and how having a baby might affect your job. Then at least, you’ll make informed decisions.
- Does your health insurance cover pregnancy and childbirth? If so, what percentage of the cost will you have to pay? If not, how will you pay for having a baby? Check with your medical provider and with your local hospital to see how much it costs. Obviously, you don’t have to be really rich to have babies or else very few people would have children. But it’s important to have all the financial information so you can make a plan and start saving for the expenses.
- Are you ready for the responsibility? Having a baby is a huge responsibility. Your choices, your actions, your words will all affect your child. Your baby will come into this world completely helpless and will depend on you for everything. We’re not saying that isn’t a bit terrifying even for someone who is totally ready for a child – it’s scary and overwhelming even for people who are expecting a second or third child. But is that a responsibility you feel like you’re up for? Even though it seems hard and scary, are you ready for it?
If you’re trying to make this huge decision, please know that you don’t have to do this all on your own. If you don’t have anyone else to talk with, someone on our staff is happy to sit down with you and listen and help you think through this big decision.
If you’re already pregnant and you just aren’t sure if you’re ready to raise a baby, that’s a whole other set of considerations and concerns. And you don’t have to face that decision alone either. Please call us. We’ll set up a time to meet, then we’ll listen to you and we’ll talk through all the options with you. Even though this can feel like a terrifying time, we can help you not feel so overwhelmed.
Learn how the abortion pill works and what to expect. Colllage center offers free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and more. Contact us.
If you're considering abortion, there's one medical step that protects your health before anything else. An ultrasound confirms your pregnancy and provides information that a positive test alone cannot.
If you’ve recently learned you are pregnant unexpectedly, we understand how overwhelming this might feel right now. If you're considering abortion as an option, taking time to understand how the process works is important so you can make an informed decision. Collage is here to help provide you with confidential support and abortion information at no cost. We offer a safe space, free of judgment, where you can think calmly about your options, receive lab-quality pregnancy testing, and get a complimentary ultrasound so you can get the facts around your pregnancy and learn what options are available to you. Schedule your free appointment today. Medical Abortion Medical abortion, also known as the abortion pill, ends a pregnancy by using two drugs taken at different times. The first pill, mifepristone, works by blocking progesterone and causes the embryo’s death. The second drug, called misoprostol, is usually taken a day or two after and causes the uterus to contract, expelling the pregnancy tissue through cramping and bleeding. Common side effects can include bleeding and cramping, bleeding with blood clots, and a low-grade fever. Medical abortion is only approved through ten weeks of gestation by the FDA . Follow-up care is typically recommended after a medical abortion to make sure the process is complete. Surgical Abortion Surgical abortion terminates a pregnancy in a clinic or medical setting and involves removing pregnancy tissue from the uterus through a suction device or a tool called a curette. This can also be called dilation and evacuation or dilation and curettage . Common side effects of surgical abortions are bleeding and cramps. You may also have a late or early period as your uterus has to build a new lining after the procedure. What Are The Risks Of Abortion? Medical and surgical abortion both have possible risks that you should be aware of. Some women may also experience emotional responses afterward. Complications that can arise from abortion are: Infection. Scar tissue on the uterine wall, known as Asherman's syndrome . Heavy bleeding that may not stop. Diarrhea and digestive pain. An incomplete abortion. Confirm Your Pregnancy With An Ultrasound Before making a pregnancy decision, it is important to verify your pregnancy with an ultrasound. An ultrasound provides important medical details such as how far along you are, the location of the pregnancy, and whether a heartbeat is detected. These details are important since the abortion pill is not FDA-approved for over ten weeks, and it also rules out ectopic pregnancy, which requires urgent medical attention. As many as 26% of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage, and you can still get a positive pregnancy test result for days or weeks after a miscarriage because it takes time for hCG to leave the body. An ultrasound will confirm whether or not you have miscarried. We provide no-cost pregnancy services at our center, including limited OB ultrasounds, so you can get informed about your pregnancy and options. Get Pregnancy Support at College If you're considering your next step after learning you are unexpectedly pregnant, we are here to give you a safe place to ask questions and learn more about your options. Collage provides confidential appointments and no-cost pregnancy services, including medical-grade pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and STD testing . You don’t have to figure this out alone. We are here to listen. Schedule your free confidential appointment to learn more about your options. Collage does not provide or refer for abortions; however, we do offer pre-abortion screening through our no-cost services.
