Improving Friendships During Pregnancy

I did a little research around the web today about how to be a better friend when one of you has an unplanned pregnancy.

What should you do if a good friend is suddenly and unexpectedly pregnant? Do you know how to help and support her? This video and article comes from the UK.

http://www.videojug.com/film/what-to-do-when-your-friend-gets-pregnant

What should you do if you become unexpectedly pregnant and your old friends start to avoid you?

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/ask-heidi/week-29/friendships.aspx

How do friends often feel when they find out you're pregnant? (The author feels betrayed and abandoned and she has a hard time dealing with her feelings.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-bidwell-smith/pregnancy-friend-pregnant_b_1542191.html

Understanding what your friend is going through, whether you or she becomes pregnant, is a foundational step in keeping your friendships strong during the time you need them most- especially during the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy.

Great Web Resources for Young Moms

It's more trendy lately to wait until later in life to have children, in order to get a head start on a career or to build financial stability, but sometimes life has a whole new idea- You have an unplanned pregnancy while in college or in your early twenties.

Check out some great things that have been created by other young women, when life threw them a surprise. These are some impressive ladies!

Picture above is from tinybluelines.com

Early Mama

This website, "Early Mama" is for those women who choose to have their babies earlier. The website offers support and inspiration for mothers both married and single. The site is run by Michelle Horton, a 26-year-old mother, wife, and optimist.  she now spends her days as a work-from-home writer. She writes daily for Babble.com, Disney Baby, and mom.me, and she has a weekly column with Parenting Magazine.She's also been published at The Huffington Post, CNN.com,  SELF Magazine, Yahoo! Shine, The Stir, the Etsy blog, and several book anthologies. She was named a Cision Most Influential Mama in 2012, Café Mom named Early Mama one of the “10 Blogs That Will Change the Way You Look at Motherhood,” and Early Mama has been cited in The Huffington Post and Psychology Today.

http://www.earlymama.com/

The Young Mommy Life

Here's another great one, very similar to "Early Mama." It's called, "The Young Mommy Life."

Tara Pringle Jefferson is the founder and editor of TheYoungMommyLife.com, one of the first websites created specifically for young mothers’ concerns. She is an author, social media consultant and young parent advocate. Created in 2008, The Young Mommy Life has been featured on Sirius XM, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Ebony magazine, WhatToExpect.com, and BlackAmericaWeb.com for its realistic portrayal of young motherhood and all it entails. With readers logging on from South Africa to London to Brazil, The Young Mommy Life is a global movement for changing how young mothers are perceived in the media, by policymakers, and in our communities.

http://www.theyoungmommylife.com/

Tiny Blue Lines

This next site, "Tiny Blue Lines," is impressive too. The site is by Chaunie, a freelance writer, speaker, labor and delivery nurse, and an advocate for women facing unexpected pregnancy. She's the mom to two little girls and one "adorably chunky little man." And she's writing the book on young motherhood.

http://www.tinybluelines.com/

Unplanned Pregnancy? You need emotional support!

Pregnant? Wondering what to do? Have a friend that is in that situation? We have lots of resources here on the website for you to look at and review.

Send an email: talk2agoodfriend@gmail.com

Interesting- Did you know that if you google "friendship" and "pregnancy," about 70% of the links that come up are about losing friends when women become pregnant? Many of the articles are about how to keep and retain those friends. We at "Talk to a Friend" hope to help you make new friendships as well as maintain those you already have. 

During an unplanned pregnancy, you need intense emotional support from friends. Looking for suggestions? Tips? Follow our blog as we address these concerns over the next few weeks.

Here are a few articles about women who were completely taken off guard by unplanned pregnancy, worked through the emotional chaos and confusion and their lives are even better as a result.

How I Unexpectedly Had Four Kids!

http://moms.popsugar.com/How-I-Unexpectedly-Had-4-Kids-27333211?ref=25506583

Unplanned Pregnancy Announcements- How do family and friends respond?
http://pregnancy.about.com/u/ua/announcingyourpregnancy/Your-Family-And-Friends-Reaction-To-Your-Pregnancy-Announcement.htm

Check back regularly for more news, articles, information, friendship and support!

Give us a call at 541.687.8651 if you live in Eugene, Oregon and would like to come in for a pregnancy test or ultrasound or just to talk about what's going on.

Unplanned Pregnancy? Here's some inspiration!

 First finding out you're pregnant when you didn't plan to be can be a really scary thing! You may ask yourself, "What will happen to my career? Relationships? World?"

For those freaking out or who just want some comfort, here are a few inspirational quotes!

A grand adventure is about to begin." - Winnie the Pooh

"We have a secret in our culture, it's not that birth is painful, it's that women are strong." - Laura Stavoe Harm

"Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born." - George Bernard Shaw

"All the time we wondered and wondered, who is this person coming, growing, turning, floating, swimming deep, deep inside." - Crescent Dragonwagon

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone." - Author Unknown

 "Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile…initially scared me to death." - Betty Bender

 More Quotes Here:
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/blogs/a/Quotes-For-Pregnancy.htm

Inspirational Stories: Wheelchair-bound single parent becomes successful entrepreneur!

 I like to surf the web looking for stories that might be of interest to women who are pregnant and worried about their future.

By far, the most inspirational story I have found is this one- A single mother, confined to a wheelchair, raises two children while working as an entrepreneur. When she first became wheelchair-bound, she had to give up her business and social services almost took her children for fear she couldn't care for them. Yet today, she has built her career back up. She manages being a mother and successful career woman, despite all odds!

 http://www.willowstairlifts.co.uk/blog/the-exceptional-story-of-a-single-mothers-battle-against-the-odds/



 The Experience Project has an interesting collection of stories by single women who have faced the challenges of childbearing alone and still managed to do what they want with their lives, such as meeting their career and educational goals.

Here's an example~

A teenage mom, now 20,  has a job and is a full time student at a university. She's happy and says life isn't as hard as she thought it would be.
http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-A-Single-Mother/3041693

Pregnant On Campus

Here are some articles I found this week about what to do when you're pregnant on campus:

"Whether you are a freshman or a senior, becoming pregnant during your college years is especially challenging. You wonder if you can do it- if you can be both a student and a parent. You worry about what your peers will think and how your professors will react. You fear how the school administration will treat you when they find out. All of these concerns weigh on the decisions of college-aged parents. For this reason, we need to take action to encourage policies and programs that are compassionate towards college parents." -Rosalie

http://pregnantoncampus.studentsforlife.org/2013/03/08/embraced-encouraged-and-loved-rosalies-story/

What to Expect When Your Pregnancy is Unexpected

Interesting blog from another woman at college.

http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/shockandaww/what-to-expect-when-your-pregnancy-is-unexpected 

E-HOW- How to go to college when pregnant

 http://www.ehow.com/how_2120093_go-college-pregnant.html

Working Mom= Social Misfit?

Just found this amazing blog today!

Working Moms = Social Misfits? How to Fight Isolation

http://www.starmom.org/2012/04/inspiration-of-working-moms_29.html 

 

So many women are waiting until later in life to have kids that when women have them younger they often feel alone, like a misfit. Few at work or school can relate to them. "Star Mom" has some good ideas about how to adapt and socialize in the work environment. 

 

Here's another great place to look for inspiration:

Take a look at Working Mother's 2012 Working Mothers of the Year.

"They bring home the bacon…and the fruits and vegetables, and occasionally some frozen entrees."

http://www.workingmother.com/best-companies/christine-williams-university-wisconsin-hospital-and-clinics

It's amazing what women can do!

Sometimes, life can feel overwhelming. We wonder how we can possibly do all we want to do in life.

Looking around at those our age who seem so free in their childlessness makes it harder to decide that you can be a mother, successful in a career and HAPPY, too! But, you can!