Nancylyn Channel

According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, about 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. While you may still be unsure about your plans for the future, it is imperative that you schedule a doctor's appointment. You might consider your family doctor or a local clinic, like Planned Parenthood, where you can also discuss your options with an unbiased professional. Find a health center near you.

The more care and effort you put into making an informed choice, the more at peace you will be with your decision. Your primary options are the following:

1. Marriage

2. Abortion

3. Single Parenting

4. Adoption

If you want to weigh the pros and cons of these options, you can find unbiased information at clinics like Planned Parenthood, or talk with a counselor at 1-800-GLADNEY.

While this decision is yours alone to make, the moral support of those who care for you can be very important as you face the challenges that accompany it.

You may not feel ready to confide in your friends and family yet. Call 1-800-GLADNEY to speak with counselors who want to listen and help.

It will be more challenging, but not impossible, to raise your child without the support of your family. Through your relationships with close friends, you can find emotional support to help you through this time. 

It will cost about $3300 to $4000 per month to support yourself and your child. You need to know if you cannot expect the financial support of your family so that you can realistically examine your ability to support your child.

It's not too late to make a plan: start pricing the rent for apartments in your area, or else begin to more seriously consider your other pregnancy options.

If you are considering adoption, The Gladney Center has a dorm in Fort Worth, TX that offers a supportive living environment. Whether you decide to live at home or on campus, Gladney can offer you:

• Exceptional medical care at no cost to you
• Staff attorneys to coordinate any legal work involved in your adoption
• Counseling & emotional support
• Educational opportunities
• Information exchange between adoptive parents and birth parents
• Post-placement counseling

In order for children to know they are loved, they need to feel safe. In healthy families, parents share the responsibilities of having children-- the fun ones as well as the difficult ones. They create a safe and secure home life for their families. Hurting children is never okay, and it's against the law. Children can be removed from a home where they are being abused.

For more information on identifying abuse and removing your child and yourself from an abusive home, go to the Planned Parenthood website.

It's not too late to find a job! The Nurturing Network offers four different applications that may be downloaded or completed and submitted online, including an application for women who are not currently working or in college. After your application has been submitted and reviewed, you will be able to receive assistance, free of charge, in your local job search.

Check out this list of Financial Responsibilities, and fill in your own estimated expenses to create a budget plan.

Organizations like the Nurturing Network focus specifically on assisting college and working women, offering housing, medical services, legal assistance, counseling support, financial aid, and educational and employment opportunities nationally.

Being a parent means prioritizing your time, money, and love with your child in mind. Where would you like to be in 5 years? Will having a child delay or altogether eliminate the possibility of your completing these goals? Fill out this Future Goals worksheet to take a comprehensive look.

Parenting a child can be one of life's most joyous experiences. However, it can also be the hardest and most demanding job you will ever undertake. Parenting a child without the financial or emotional support of a father or father figure will make your job that much more challenging.

Only you know whether or not you have the time, money, education, job, home, responsibility and maturity to handle being both a mom and a dad to a child. Only you know whether or not you will be able to give your child the kind of life you want him/her to have.

There is no better expert on the financial and emotional demands of parenthood than someone who has actually been through it; confide in a single parent whose opinion you trust.

You can also take a look at Samantha's Blog as she makes an adoption plan for her baby and faces the same thoughts and questions that you are facing.

Besides the financial benefits of raising a child with your partner, there are significant emotional benefits that a healthy relationship can generate. If your partner isn't there to offer you support, acknowledge your accomplishments, and to consider your needs, then you may feel alone. It's important to seek out the encouragement, communication and support of your friends and family members.

It takes enormous sacrifice to commit to putting your baby's needs before yourself, your boyfriend, your family, or your friends. It also takes tremendous maturity to admit that your baby deserves something more than you are able to provide him/her with at this point in your life.