Amelia, a young mother in her twenties with a five-month-old daughter, had been struggling with postpartum depression since her daughter’s birth.
And that depression had been compounded by the recent death of her sister, who’d died due to complications related to preeclampsia in childbirth.
Discovering that she was pregnant again, Amelia felt like her sister’s recent death “was a sign” that she “should not have another child right now.”
Feeling despondent, she was decidedly determined to get an abortion, and began looking for an abortion facility online.
Thanks to your support of Heroic Media’s OAASYS (On-demand Alternatives to Abortion SYStem) Emergency Response ads, Amelia was connected with OAASYS’s Pregnancy Help Center partner in Tampa, Florida instead, and made an appointment to be seen.
When Amelia arrived at the pregnancy center, it was clear that she was very abortion-determined.
She wasn’t interested in having any spiritual conversations, and she declined the offer for prayer.
However, with great compassion, her client advocates listened to her story and provided her with clear information about all her options.
They discussed the pros and cons of parenting, adoption, and abortion, and Amelia was able to ask the questions she had in a safe environment.
Over time, her guard began to come down.
Providing emotional support, her advocates listened to her fears and worries and reassured her that she was not alone.
They helped her to understand that she had the strength to make the best decision for herself and her daughter.
They discussed helping Amelia find a counselor to help her walk through her postpartum depression and begin to heal from the acute grief of losing her sister.
By the end of the session, Amelia was more open to parenting her baby, but she still left without deciding for sure.
Several weeks later, Amelia called the pregnancy center.
She told her advocates that she had decided against abortion and to parent her baby – and would be grateful if the offer of assistance was still available.
With total reassurances of their full support through her pregnancy and beyond, the center helped Amelia find prenatal care, provided material resources, and connected her to a counselor to help her work through her postpartum depression and grief from the loss of her sister.
She also was connected to a supportive community of other mothers who could help her through this difficult time.
Learning through ultrasound that her new baby was another little girl, with the help of so many around her, Amelia gained strength and leaned into her motherhood, determined to give both of her daughters the best life possible.
Praise God!
And thank you for the heroic role you played in helping precious Amelia find the true, life-affirming help and support she needed to choose life – and become healthier herself
1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
