Deliver Me: A Book on Unplanned Pregnancy

This book is not just for teenagers going through unplanned pregnancies, though the cover might lead you to think otherwise. I had two unplanned pregnancies with two very different outcomes. During my first unplanned pregnancy, my fiance (who was then my boyfriend) had been pressuring me to abort. We went to Planned Parenthood and someone said to me, “It is YOUR body. Whatever you decide to do, it is your choice.” Naturally, most people might have taken that as encouragement to go ahead and abort, but for me, it was encouragement to keep my child because I was totally against the alternative. Now we have a beautiful daughter who will be turning 5 next month.

My second unplanned pregnancy occurred when my IUD failed. I went to a pregnancy resource center (are they still called crisis pregnancy centers?) and the women there were so supportive. However, they were alarmed because they saw my dislodged IUD and no halo indicating a live baby.

The most important thing for a person experiencing an unplanned pregnancy is a safe and loving environment — a place where no one is going to pressure you to make a certain decision and a place where you won’t be judged. From what I read, the setting for these stories provided that kind of atmosphere. The other important component is resources! It really is amazing how many resources exist within a community — unbeknownst to many! The stigma can be very overwhelming, especially if you’ve never asked for help before.

One thing I struggled with in this book is the idea of abstinence because studies have shown that abstinence only education is less effective than teaching safe sex. I believe it would be immensely helpful to teenagers to at least encourage open dialogue about sex.

Overall, this is a great resource for those who are looking for stories about others who have struggled in their shoes. Considering that statistics and resources do become outdated, I am curious how the author plans to update this information.

Disclosure: I received a FREE copy of this book via BookCrash.