We were so inspired by one of our birth moms we asked if she would be willing to write a few words about her adoption journey thus far. Megan is from Phoenix, Arizona and has taken huge strides to turn her life around after finding out she was pregnant. We couldn’t be more happy for her success.
I will never forget the day I found out I was pregnant. After waking up with terrible back and stomach pain, I went to the ER and was prescribed pain medication without having a pregnancy test first. A few days later it dawned on me that I might be pregnant. My period was late and truthfully I wasn’t always good with protection. I went to a pregnancy clinic and they told me to stop taking the pain medication immediately because I was going to have a baby.
It’s not easy to admit some of this, but I honestly did not believe the nurse when she said I was going to have a baby. I figured I would probably just have an abortion. Not only was I not ready for a baby to be born, I was not ready to have a baby inside of me. I was in my twenties and was doing things I’m not proud of today. Drinking, smoking cigarettes and occasionally more, I couldn’t figure growing a child into my lifestyle. I talked it over with some friends and they even agreed that abortion would solve everything. I could get on with my life. After going to a clinic with one of my girlfriends, the abortion was scheduled for one week later. I went home and tried to forget about it.
I couldn’t though. It’s difficult to say what changed that week, but I started doing research online and read the testimonies of adoptive families. The way they talked about their adoptive children made me realize that this child could change somebody’s entire world. In small ways, he was already changing mine. I reached out to a few adoption agencies and discovered that what I was going through was not unusual. I wanted to be healthy through this pregnancy and needed help getting out of the living situation I was in. Arizona Adoption Help was able to support me financially through the pregnancy. With their help, I moved out of the apartment I was sharing with a few other people. It was a completely fresh start for me. I met with the counselor every couple of weeks and started looking for a job, so that when the baby is born, I can afford to keep up with my new life.
After a few short months, my entire life is different. Before, I spent most nights partying and surrounded myself with people that really didn’t care about me. Now, I have a job at a commercial cleaning company and an apartment. I even started talking to my family again and have plans to fly and visit them after the baby is born. This child isn’t even born yet and he is responsible for so much good. I often think that some day I might want to start a family. When that time comes, I’ll be ready because this baby gave me a second chance.
Megan – Phoenix, AZ 2014
