There’s been a lot of tragic stories in the news lately. Some hit me hard. Like the ones of the college students who give birth and then do the unthinkable and kill their baby. Their own flesh and blood. It’s sickening. While I hate the act, I do feel for those young moms. Clearly they are in a place of hurt for them to think that’s the best option. Or even an okay option. Not only do they literally throw out their child’s life like a piece of trash, they are destroying their own lives too. They had so much going for them. Their whole lives ahead of them. Instead an innocent baby is buried and a mom spends life in prison. It’s all just so tragic.

As an adoptive mom, I care deeply for those who face a crisis pregnancy. I get that it’s untimely and might not be desired. I understand that times are tough. That it’s not part of the plan. I understand when they wish it didn’t happen. But it did happen. There’s options. There’s help.

All three of my children were part of an unplanned, crisis pregnancy. I thank God that their stories had a happier ending than those poor babies who faced an untimely death at their own mother’s hand. My son was born to college students. His (birth) mom hid her pregnancy from nearly everyone. She could have kept the secret longer and made that sweet baby boy disappear. But she didn’t. It wasn’t easy, but she went to the hospital and got help. She gave her son a chance at life. And he’s one heck of an amazing boy!! She didn’t feel like she was ready to be a mom and so she made the gut-wrenching decision to place him for adoption. Adoption certainly isn’t easy. No way! But she gets to still live her life and so does her son. Every single day, I am thankful that my kids are part of this world. At 7, 4 and 2, my kids already make my world a whole lot happier. It’s too painful to even try to imagine what the world would be like without them.

To the moms facing crisis pregnancies… Please tell someone. Please get help. You will be an amazing mom. It’s hard, but you can do this. Your circumstances can change. It can get easier. If you truly feel like you can’t be mom right now, there’s options. Talk to someone and learn what your options are. I know you love your baby and others will too. But please, whatever you do, don’t become a tragic news story.