Mother Chooses Life Despite Mounting Circumstances

“I found I was pregnant about two hours before the tornado hit. And we're in East Nashville. And all I can think about at that time was, 'My life is over. My life is over.'
My husband and I were not anticipating being pregnant any time soon and just felt like not ready to be parents,” says Lauren. Along with her husband, David, they faced mounting stress in the early spring of 2020, so much so that the news or her pregnancy was a burden instead of a celebration.
 
She continues, “Went from finding out I was pregnant, bawling my eyes out for about two hours, then hiding in the bathtub with a tornado right down the street from our house. Next morning, wake up. We're walking down, looking at all the destruction. And my husband's work was impacted, so they were completely closed. And all we could think of is, 'What are we going to do?' After that, my husband and I talked about, 'Well, there's no way we can keep this baby.'"

"We were just not prepared. We were 2,000 miles away from any support system at home. And the following week, within a matter of days, Covid hit. And my husband lost his job. And it just became – just fear. And my husband and I are both believers. Never thought we would believe in abortion being an option. But at that time, it felt like that was the only thing that we could do.”
 
Lauren remembers the isolation, “I literally felt like I had nobody to talk to, especially thinking that I may have an abortion. The majority of my friends are Christians, and that would be – I-I just didn't want to be judged on that sense. And because my mother is a Christian, I didn't think I could tell her. So, it was a very lonely and isolating season, and just dealing with the shame and the guilt, and knowing if I get an abortion, how's that going to affect my marriage? How is that going to affect the way that God feels about me and if God loves me? And how am I going to feel about myself? Am I always going to wonder what that child would have been like, he or she? And those feelings alone, and not having an outlet to talk about, were just extremely, extremely hard.”

Under the weight of her decision, Lauren contacted a local pregnancy resource center.

“I contacted the Pregnancy Care Center, mostly because I wanted counseling after an abortion,” says Lauren. “I knew that I was emotionally going to be wrecked with this decision and that I needed somebody to talk to, that didn't know me, and can just be there and walk through that process with me.”
 
Even during Covid, Lauren was able to connect immediately with a woman named Rachel at the pregnancy care center. She remembers the call, “My first conversation was an hour long and just really understanding what I was going through, which I appreciated.”
 
“To my core, I knew abortion was wrong. I knew it. But there's a sense when you go through something yourself, it's like, 'Well, oh, oh, I guess it's okay.' And I really had to challenge myself, well, is it okay? And why-why would this innocent life just be taken because I don't feel like I'm ready? Is that a reason enough? for abortion.”
 
She continues, “I think at the end of the day, I knew it wasn't right. But more than just not right, it's like a sin. If you're not – if nobody knows about your sin, it's okay and you can keep doing it. It's like once you speak it out loud, it-it brings a realness and a light to it. And that's how kind of the abortion felt. You know, if nobody knew what I was going through, and if nobody knew that it happened – nobody would have to know, and I wouldn't have to feel shameful. But bringing it to light and talking to somebody helped bring it of, no, it's not – it's not okay. And I will get through this. And what is going to be the right decision in my heart? And at the end of the day, it was knowing that child mattered and that we needed to go through with this. And little did I know that conversation with Rachel for an hour would lead us to keeping our baby, and our son has been such a blessing.” 
 
In November of 2020, Lauren and David joyfully welcomed their son, Jesse Wells, to the world. Becoming parents has brought unexpected joy while strengthening their faith.

Lauren smiles, “I've just seen God continually work in my life of having to surrender. My prayers have completely changed. My life has a whole new meaning now having a child. Before, when I found out I was pregnant and thinking my life was over was because I was so selfish. And now having a child, my life is not my own. It's about my child and wanting my child to love the Lord, and have a great marriage, and how do I treat my husband, and how does my child see that? Watching each other become parents has been wonderful, and knowing that our son has just changed our hearts and softened our hearts, that, you know, God knew what we needed.”