Beyond the Heartbeat

Nicole shared the news with her fiancée: The pregnancy test came back positive.  His reply text shocked her. “Is there any way you can take care of this?”

Her body felt a wave of deep disappointment and confusion. She told him she didn’t think she could do that—abortion. He messaged back, “Well, in that case, good luck then. I don’t want to have anything to do with you or this baby.”

“And that was that,” she said. “He was done. I actually hid it from my family the first two months. I was still in shock.” Nicole, a U.S. Navy veteran, was a student getting her prerequisites for Dental Hygienist School. She needed a new plan, and a friend told her about our clinic.

“They gave me a sonogram, and that solidified for me that I could do this,” she said.

Like many women who come to our clinics, that triumphant choice for life in the sonogram room was just the dawn of Nicole’s journey. That’s why our services don’t stop there. Nicole embarked on a year-long process with our full package of holistic care, meeting her needs emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

Nicole didn’t have an emotional support system in her life until she started meeting regularly with clinic staff and her volunteer advocate, Betsy Halford.

“I was going through so many hard times and questioning myself,” she said. “I remember their prayers for me to know God’s love. It was awesome to see how my perspective changed to see He is with me.”

She came back weekly to shop for baby supplies with the “baby bucks” she earned by taking parenting classes. She earned diapers, burp cloths, onesies, books, and a breast pump.

“It was everything I needed,” she said. “I’m a single mom with no job or support from the dad. I’ve had to put school and work on hold. This is allowing me to be a mom first and care for my daughter.”

Nicole also experienced the essence of the Vinekeepers family by attending our client celebration parties for Mother’s Day and Christmas.

“I would describe the events as just an outpouring of love and encouragement from the Vinekeepers community,” she said. “It’s awesome to share stories with the other moms there in similar circumstances, see the little ones growing up, and see the brighter side of our situations during the holidays.”

Nicole needed community as a stay-at-home mom. Her advocate gave her an Embrace Grace box full of spiritual encouragement and an invitation to a weekly support group for single pregnant women and new moms at Trinity Fellowship Church.

“This is exactly what I needed,” Nicole said. “I am learning to trust God more. I’m learning my daughter was His blessing to me, and our lives are not a mistake. I’m learning to be a daughter of God in order to be a better mother for Kyle. A year ago, I needed so much support. Now, with God’s help, I have this community and, I can give back to these girls in my Embrace Grace group who haven’t had their babies yet.”

She is looking forward to the future. 

“If you support this ministry, thank you for your generous hearts,” she said. “The Vinekeepers are pretty much amazing. As I reflect on what God has done for me, I am so thankful for the generous and loving people He has placed into my life.”