In the back of my head, I accepted the fact I was pregnant. But, I kept finding excuses to not think about it. I knew I couldn’t hold it off forever,so one night after I tucked my daughter into bed, I decided to call the Pregnancy Support Centre.

Leanne picked up on the other end and we discussed abortion options. Because I was so far along, she explained the risks of such a late-term procedure. She offered me the option of making an adoption plan, which seemed to be perfect for me, as I knew there was no way I could parent this new baby, and my daughter on my own.

Since I was seven months pregnant, the Pregnancy Centre immediately arranged for me to meet Pat, a counsellor from Beginnings. Talking with Pat, I went through so many emotions: the joy of a new life; the guilt of not being able to raise the baby myself; anger for ending up in this situation; the feeling of loss as I wasn’t going to be parenting my child; and lastly, the most important—the hope for a wonderful future for the new family that was to be created. To this point, I told no one I was pregnant, except for the staff at the Pregnancy Centre and Pat from Beginnings. But, I finally gave in and told my best friend. She gave wonderful support and agreed to look after my daughter while I was in hospital; my greatest fear was going into labour in the middle of the night with no one to care for her.

When I did go into labour, I was somewhat at ease knowing my daughter was cared for. The delivery went well and I had a beautiful baby boy. I spent lots of time with him in the hospital and we had some good talks. I explained to him the choice I made and why, and promised I would find the best parents in the world for him. Pat was helpful in contacting the baby’s father — something I didn’t want to do — but, she was able to educate and involve him in the adoption plan.

After my release from the hospital, I met with Pat to choose the family — the one thing that stuck in my mind was her saying, “I would just know when I found the right family.” I read over a bunch of profiles, and she was right, I found the one! There was something about this couple that made the voice in my head yell yes! Pat arranged a meeting.

I met with Greg and Ally, and I felt an instant relief that my instincts had been right. I had fulfilled my promise to Thomas and found him the perfect family. The day of his placement I went to Hamilton with Pat and was so excited he was going to be with his new family. I have lots of baby pictures and I can call or email whenever I want. We are planning a get together in a few months and my daughter will meet her new brother.

Shauna