Have you found yourself in a situation you never thought you’d be in … at least not now? If you’re pregnant, scared and in need of someone to talk to, the Pregnancy Care Center is here for you. You are NOT alone. With locations in Columbus, Greensburg, Nashville, North Vernon, Seymour and Shelbyville, Indiana, you can quickly find us and the support you need during this time.

When you come to one of our six Pregnancy Care Center locations, you will find a loving, down to earth staff waiting to help. Each one on our staff is here to provide that listening ear and reassuring voice during this unsettling time. No matter your situation, no matter your story, you can count on us to provide compassionate care just for you. Here are just a few of the many ways we can help.

First, we offer pregnancy tests. Even if you took a home test and it was positive, we recommend you take another test at the center to confirm it. You’ll get your results while you wait.

If the test is indeed positive, we can schedule you for a first trimester ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to help determine how far along you are in your pregnancy. We’ll also check to see that you have an intrauterine pregnancy. Pregnancy Care Center provides this service no cost to you.

Next, we provide the education you need to make an informed decision regarding your pregnancy. Have you ever had a huge decision to make, but needed someone to help lay out all the facts so you could see the big picture and make a well educated decision? That’s what we’re here for. We’ll go through ALL your options with you. Parenting. Abortion. Adoption. We’re here to help you find the answers to any question you may have. We want you to be comfortable with the decision you’re making. We understand the importance of this decision and that it is not to be taken lightly.

Our staff will walk you through this information. We don’t have any kind of agenda except to help you know your facts so you can make the best decision possible for you and your family. Our Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings County Centers even have male peer counselors available to talk with your partner.

Remember through all of this, you are not alone. We’re just a phone call away ready to be that listening ear that you need. Call 812-378-4730 and we’ll direct you to the center nearest you.

Pregnancy can be scary enough when it’s planned, much less when it’s not. If you’re not ready to be a parent, perhaps not even married, it can suddenly be even more scary. You may not know where to turn or what to do. The staff at the Pregnancy Care Center in Lancaster, South Carolina would like to talk to you, to listen. They have no financial interest in your decisions, but many of the staff have been where you are, faced what you are facing, and they want to help you through this very difficult, perhaps overwhelming, time.

No one, either volunteers or staff, at the Pregnancy Care Center will judge you or tell you what to do. They will, however, offer you all the information available on all your options, from abortion, to adoption, to parenting. Their goal is to provide you with all the facts, so when you make that irrevocable decision, you know exactly what you’re doing.

To start off, they offer a lab-certified free pregnancy test in Lancaster, to be sure you definitely are pregnant. After all, if you’re not really pregnant, there’s nothing about which to worry! If you are, indeed, pregnant, then the staff and volunteers will provide you with more information than you realized was available.

If you’re considering an abortion, they will explain all the possibilities, with thorough abortion education in Kershaw. Not only are there many different kinds of abortion procedures, but there are also many things to consider. Since abortion is a medical procedure, there are side effects, after effects, and risks that may or may not be fully explained by the medical personnel offering the abortion.

On the other hand, maybe you’re more interested in continuing the pregnancy through to the end, then putting the child up for adoption in Heath Springs. Here again, there are many things to consider, and the whole process can be pretty intimidating, if you don’t know how the system works. The folks at the Pregnancy Care Center can help you here, as well, with information on all the options available in today’s adoptions, from agencies to private adoptions.

Perhaps, despite your fear and lack of preparation, to this point, you’ve decided you are not only going to go through with the pregnancy but also take on the challenge of being a parent. If this whole situation has left you alone, either feeling so or actually being so, contact the Pregnancy Care Center for advice, assistance, and information. They will help you think through all that parenting entails (as much as can be thought through ahead of time).

At the Pregnancy Care Center, you can be safe to talk about what you’re thinking, fearing, hoping. That may really be all you’re looking for–a place where there are people who will listen. This is that place.

Having a baby so soon had never been part of our plan, although we had never really established a firm “plan.” For the most part, we were pretty focused on getting our house ready to be inhabited and finalizing wedding details. We didn’t take much pre-wedding time to talk through our plans for that kind of post-wedding thing…figured there would be plenty of time for that after we got through the wedding. As many couples as there are out there that have such a difficult time “starting a family,” we never seriously considered the possibility of having a baby right away.

So much for the luxury of pre-pregnancy planning! The whole idea of taking folic acid supplements for six months before conceiving was right down the drain, along with a whole pile of other recommendations. Judging from some of the pre-pregnancy checklists out there, our daughter should be a health mess, and I should have had a miserable pregnancy. Oh well–wrong on both counts. God preserved us both, despite my fanaticism in eating the foods with the vitamins and minerals I needed, rather than popping prenatal vitamins.

For those who have an opportunity to take care of some preparations before conceiving, there are many websites with advice, recommendations, and checklists. One plus of our timing was that I was in great shape, having been exercising faithfully for a couple years, partially in preparation for the wedding. The exercise before, throughout, and shortly following her birth was probably the best “move” we made, in any of the things we were able to control–that, and opting for a birthing center. With the surprise of suddenly having to find a caregiver for prenatal appointments through delivery and postpartum care, we worked off the insurance list, and the birth center we found was a God-send.

If we had it to do all over again, we would, most likely, change nothing. That is human nature, and we are no exception. As far as the birthing center was concerned, there would definitely be no changes. The only changes I would hope we would make would be mostly in the postpartum period, when I fell for a couple postpartum myths that most moms probably want to believe…. I’m still trying to get rid of the baby belly. Granted, I could have been more vigilant during the pregnancy, probably have passed up some of the chocolate and peanut butter (my only valid craving). Life would probably be easier now!

Although we didn’t “schedule” her, our little girl is an absolute joy, except for those rare moments when she runs out of good behavior and melts down. Even then, we’re so very thankful for her. We wouldn’t send her back, even if we could, and we’re growing to love her more every day, as the little person in there is emerging, and we’re getting to know her.

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, understanding your options is an important next step. A trained consultant will provide factual information about all your options in a non-judgmental and caring atmosphere. During your consultation, we will provide accurate information about parenting, abortion, and adoption. Our consultants can offer additional assistance relevant to your situation.

An ultrasound scan will be scheduled following a positive test to verify that it is a viable, uterine pregnancy. The Women’s Center has additional services that assist women with parenting-related issues and concerns. The Women’s Center has a program which helps pregnant women and mothers receive material items for their children. Additionally, we offer educational classes and post-abortion support.

In addition to providing information regarding pregnancy, we also have information about birth control, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and sexual health issues. We offer a holistic alternative to conventional birth control. The Women’s Center located in Fairborn across from Wright State University provides free, confidential STD testing to girls and women. If you are interested in receiving STD testing, please call 937-306-1400 to schedule an appointment.

The Women’s Center-Dayton is located on 359 Forest Avenue, Suite 105. Please call us to schedule an appointment at 937-228-2222. Our hotline number is available 24 hours a day, 7 day a week. The Women’s Center-Dayton office hours are Monday 12 pm – 7 pm, Tuesday 10 am – 4 pm, Wednesday 10 am – 4 pm, Thursday 12 pm – 7 pm, and Friday 10 am – 4 pm. Appointments may be made by phone or through our website at www.womenscenterohio.com. Walk-ins are welcome as well.

If you are unable to schedule an appointment at the Dayton location, we have four additional locations in Ohio for your convenience. Our other four locations are Fairborn (937-306-1400), Kettering (937-643-4673), Lebanon (513-934-1777), and Sidney (937-498-4425). Feel free to contact one of our other centers to schedule an appointment.

What did women say about Women’s Center-Dayton on Satisfaction Surveys during the month of May? “This is a good place for women like me. The consultant was really nice to me.” “I appreciate this center being available.” “I think the way you offer your services is very clear and shouldn’t be changed.” “Very thorough, thank you.” “My consultant was very respectful of my ways and how I am. She’s a very nice woman.” “You are a wonderful service and I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve also had friends that have been pleased with your services.” “The lady I talked to was very nice and caring.” “I just want to say that the staff here really cares about their patients.” “Very Good—I would tell my friends to come here.”

Each month, one of the 1 million eggs present in your ovaries, which have been there since before birth, is released. Usually this happens somewhere between the 12th and 16th days of your menstrual cycle. The egg, once it is released from the ovary, begins to travel down the fallopian tube, on its way toward your uterus. This is ovulation, and if you plan on getting pregnant, you’d better get to it. Your egg has about 24 hours to be fertilized before it dies. This is a very small window of opportunity!

Men, on the other hand, are constantly producing sperm. It takes approximately 64 to 72 days from start to finish to make just one sperm cell. 30 to 300 million of these little guys are released with each ejaculation, and as a result, men’s bodies work to produce sperm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once released into the woman’s body, sperm can live for up to 72 hours waiting to find that egg. So, if you are trying to get pregnant, you’ll want to have sex at least every other day during the middle of your menstrual cycle for the best odds.

Even still, many things can get in the way of the sperm finding your newly-released egg. The acid level of your vagina must be just right or the sperm will die. Then there is your cervical mucus. Cervical mucus generally works like a net which sperm can’t get through, but for about 2 days or so a month, when you are most fertile, it loosens up and the strongest swimmers can make it all the way to the other side! There is still an arduous journey ahead of these sperm, though. They must swim about 7 inches to reach your uterus. That might not seem like a lot, but considering that sperm swim about an inch every 15 minutes, it can take them anywhere from 45 minutes to up to 12 hours to reach the egg.

Those that do find the egg must work their hardest, now, to break through the outer shell. The first sperm that makes it through creates a reaction in the egg that immediately makes it impenetrable. No other sperm can get in. Then, over the next 24 hours, the genetic material of the sperm and egg mix and create a new cell that begins dividing.

It’s really not all that easy to get pregnant. A great many events must come together at exactly the right time. It can take some completely healthy couples up to a year of trying to conceive before getting pregnant. So, get busy and enjoy the “trying!”

If you have not been exercising prior to trying to conceive, it is best to begin slowly and only after getting clearance from your doctor. Start with the goal of getting thirty minutes of exercise at least three times a week. When choosing the type of exercise, be sure to try something you are interested in. Too many people join gyms only to find that running on treadmills is a bit too ‘hamsterish’ for their taste or lifting weights is simply too dull. These people might be better suited to yoga, dancing or outside activities like hiking or jogging. Which ever you choose, it’s important to enjoy what you’re doing in order to stay motivated. Ideally, you should work towards increasing your weekly exercise and if you don’t enjoy your chosen activity, five times a week will be torturous.

Stretching is imperative. Doctors have discovered that the body heals almost twice a fast from injury if it is flexible. Although pregnancy can hardly be considered an injury as it is one of the most natural things a woman’s body can do, the physical stress is enormous. As you prepare to conceive through exercise, be sure to include regular stretching into your program. Yoga is an excellent way to increase your flexibility as well as relax the mind and it can be continued up to birth and beyond.

Studies show that being even mildly overweight affects conception negatively. A woman’s hormones can become imbalanced due to carrying excess weight and as a result, her ovulation cycle becomes irregular. When you are trying to conceive, consult a body mass index chart to be sure you are within a healthy weight range for your height. If you find you are above what is considered ideal, make an appointment with your family doctor to discuss beginning a healthy diet and exercise program. Avoid fad diets as you are not looking for a quick fix to your weight problems. Although your progress may be slower, working with your doctor to make healthy life style changes will ensure safer, permanent results.

When a person begins to experiment with yoga, they are usually surprised to see the many different branches offered. Hatha is the most gentle of yoga philosophies and is usually the recommended yoga for pregnant women because of the ease of the poses.

If you are more inclined to intense exercise, you may find yourself drawn to Ashtanga, or Power Yoga. However, if you are looking to conceive or are already pregnant, you must be aware of the contraindications of this Yoga style before starting your practice. When you are trying to start a family, there is no reason for you to alter your regular exercise routine. Conception is not affected by exercise unless you are over exerting yourself or are at a dangerously low body weight. Because of this, you may continue your Ashtanga yoga without worry. Studies have shown that yoga can be of great benefit when trying to conceive as it lowers stress and creates a strong inner awareness of your body and mind. Enjoy your intense practice while you can!

After a pregnancy is confirmed, you must stop all yoga practices until the sixth week of gestation. The weeks before this point are very delicate as the placenta is being constructed and must attach firmly to the uterus. Vigorous twists and back bends can have a disastrous affect and should be avoided at all costs. If you have had miscarriages or other complications in the past, your doctor may recommend stopping your practice entirely until after your baby is born. If not, consider joining a prenatal yoga group for the duration of your pregnancy. These classes are adapted to a woman’s changing body and are much gentler, helping to relieve common pregnancy complaints. Many women find the slower pace to be very comforting as their bodies and minds experience the roller coaster of pregnancy.

The most important thing to bring to your yoga practice during pregnancy is awareness of your own limitations. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you experience any unpleasant sensations such as breathlessness or vertigo, stop immediately and seek medical attention. Otherwise, keep your core temperature down and drink lots of water. Yoga teaches you to respect your body and there is no better time to do so than when you are constructing another living being.

Breast milk is known to have the perfect amounts of fat, sugar, water, and protein that each baby needs for optimal development. The milk changes as your baby does, to provide all of the nutritional elements needed at each stage of growth. After your baby is born, your body signals your breasts to begin making milk. This first milk, called colostrum, is low in fat and high in protein and carbohydrates. Colostrum is also high in antibodies that will help protect your baby as he grows. After the first few days, your breast milk comes in and will adjust its production and constitution to the needs of your baby.

Breastfeeding also helps new mothers and babies bond. Babies have difficulty seeing clearly, at first, and they can see best when the object in view is 8-10 inches away. This, interestingly enough, is about the distance between your face and your baby’s when you hold him to your breast. Nursing (suckling) is also soothing to babies. While he is nursing, then, a baby can see his mother’s face very clearly and is usually at peace. These are perfect “bonding” moments for your baby. Of course, gazing down at your nursing baby, while holding him close, is just bliss for you, too! The physical, “skin-to-skin” contact of breastfeeding is also important for infants and is another important part of the bonding process. They have been so close to you for so long, babies thrive on continuing this physical closeness after birth.

In addition to all of the benefits breastfeeding has for babies, there are distinct positives for mothers, as well. Studies have shown that breastfeedign reduces a woman’s risk for developing breasts and/or ovarian cancers. The longer you nurse, the more your risk is reduced. Also, your breast is always there and easy to make available for your baby–no warming the bottle or preparing the formula, and there is no washing and sterilizing required after your baby is done eating! Of course, we can’t forget the fact that breastfeeding helps burn off all the “baby weight” you put on helping to grow and now to feed this beautiful baby. As a result, many breastfeeding women find it easier to return to their pre-pregnancy weight.

Breastfeeding is recommended, exclusively, for the first six months, then, for the rest of the first year (though WHO recommends two years), in addition to solid foods. You can’t help but see the benefits of breastfeeding, as your healthy baby grows up right before your eyes!

It may have seemed like it took forever or it may have passed in an instant. However you see it, your pregnancy has reached its end. Your baby has made a fantastic, mind-boggling journey from a group of cells no bigger than the head of a pin to a fully formed human being.

Her lungs are complete, her skeletal system ossified, her organs functioning, her muscles twitching and her heart moving her own individual blood type throughout her body. All the neurons and pathways in her little brain are operational and sending signals back and forth. She blinks, she smiles and she frowns.

It’s only a matter of days or even hours until the delivery process begins and you meet your new baby. As frightened as you may be, there is absolutely nothing in the world that can compare to these moments. Allow nature to take over and remember that as difficult as childbirth is for you, it’s a challenge for your baby as well. She wants to be in your arms as much as you want her there and soon…she will be.

Your Body and Emotions

This is the week to do whatever it takes to make yourself feel good. Your baby is on the way! If she’s not here this week, you can be guaranteed she’ll come out in the two weeks following. Remember that due dates are not entirely accurate. As scientific as it all is, in the end your date is just a prediction and the only one who controls when he comes out is your baby!

As you wait on his arrival, treat yourself as much as you can. Get your hair done, get a manicure and pedicure, and buy some new clothes to go home in. Why not stay in bed all day or go for long contemplative walks by yourself? Eat at your favorite restaurants and watch your favorite movies. There’s nothing worse than waiting, so try to consider this last week of pregnancy like a holiday celebrating you and all you’ve accomplished these last nine months.

Many women are concerned that they simply won’t know when they’re in labor. Anyone who has experienced childbirth can tell you that this is an utterly unfounded concern. You’ll know. What can only be considered an animal instinct takes over and something in you will know when it’s time to go to the hospital and when it’s time to start to push. Your body has a wisdom that you may not have known about until now and you can be guaranteed that once you’ve given birth, you get a whole new respect for it.

Dad’s Tips

Feeling a little nervous? Jumping up for the hospital bag every time she yawns? Waiting for the phone call at work that will tell you to get home right away? It’s only natural! This is a big week and you spend it on the verge of fatherhood.

If you can, try to arrange something special for the two of you this week. You’ve both gone through some enormous changes these past nine months. Parenthood changes marriage, and this week may present you with some of your last moments together as a child-less couple. After this week, your time alone together will be limited for quite a while so it’s wise to celebrate when you can. Go out for a walk together, go to your favorite restaurant, relax in a movie theater or even better, do something from your ‘early years’ of coupledom that has significance to both of you. As nervous as you both are, try to enjoy this time on the precipice. It’s a truly unique period in your life and you’ll be happy you took advantage of it when the sleepless nights set in!

Waiting patiently for the right time to make his appearance, your baby is still gaining weight. At thirty-four weeks gestation, your fetus weighs at least 4.7 pounds and will continue to ‘pack it on’ for the rest of your pregnancy. This fat is essential to help your baby regulate his body temperature once outside of you and helps control his metabolism. Your little one may not get the hang of breast- or bottle-feeding from the start and these fat stores will sustain him well throughout his learning process. Importance aside, this fat is also essential for the cute dimples he’s currently cultivating on his elbows and knees!

Your little one has a strong grip already! After weeks and months of opening and closing his fist or grappling with the umbilical cord, his tiny fingers are strong enough to grasp your finger or other objects easily.

Your Body and Emotions

Your mood swings will probably increase at this point. You may feel like you’re dealing with multiple personalities as you go between excited, afraid, angry or sad. You’ll probably be crying at long distance commercials and/or furious that your partner left some crumbs on the coffee table. Again, just try to ride it out. Most of it is your hormones and the rest can be attributed to the approach of perhaps the biggest lifestyle change of them all.

If the prospect of labor is starting to frighten you, consider talking to mothers who have already experienced it. Ask for their honesty and accept it when they give it to you. Too many women try to protect future moms by downplaying the intensity of labor. You’ll be able to see ‘the look’ in their eyes when you ask if it hurts…Ask them how they managed the pain, research labor and the medications used on line and then develop your birth plan. It’s good to have some feeling of control at this point, and having a clear idea of how you want your labor to progress, who you want with you and where you want to have it can help calm some of your fears.

Obsessively cleaning? Welcome to the nesting urge. This is a primal instinct that takes over during these last few weeks. You may find yourself organizing all your old papers, putting everything in jars and even going slightly mad with a labeling machine. On one hand, your need for control when faced with delivery and motherhood is to blame but scientists also believe that it’s an urge shared by all females in the animal kingdom. Don’t question it if it brings you relief. Your bathtub may never be cleaner!!

Dad’s Tips

As she gets closer to giving birth, your partner’s brain may seem to have taken a holiday. The hormone surge in her system is probably causing a phenomenon known colloquially as ‘pregnancy brain’. In the past she may have been the one to know where everything in the house is, organized bill payments or your social schedule. Now that childbirth and the hormone soup in her system has taken over, she may be considerably more absent minded than usual. Be patient and try to look at the big picture. Would you know where the car keys were if you were about to push a living human being out of your privates? Would you remember to pay the credit card bills if you were lugging around thirty-five pounds of baby weight? Be comforted knowing that you’ll have your partner back one day and until that point, it might do you good to start keeping track of these tiny details.