Exploring your unplanned pregnancy options by month

Every day, the Options Counselors at our Texas adoption agency speak with pregnant women who are stressed and facing many decisions. They are sometimes overwhelmed and unsure of their next steps. What are your options depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy?

We believe in the life-giving choice of adoption, it is our job to present a full picture to the women we serve. We want adoption to be a choice that a woman feels confident and peaceful about. If an expectant mother ultimately chooses adoption for her child, we want it to be the result of careful consideration, a decision she made without coercion.

The first trimester – The early options

The first trimester of pregnancy lasts 12 weeks, or three months. This is when most women discover they are pregnant. Depending on the woman’s situation, it is also when she might begin considering her unplanned pregnancy options by month. These include parenting, adoption and abortion.

Our Texas licensed adoption agency, has trained professionals who can give her a detailed and unbiased explanation of state abortion laws during the first trimester.

• Except in some cases, if she is under the age of 18, she must prove parental consent for an abortion in Texas.
• She can obtain an abortion at a doctor’s office, hospital or abortion provider, but she must visit the same clinician twice before undergoing the procedure.
• The abortion provider is required to provide information from the state about the medical risks, adoption alternatives and developmental stages of the unborn child.
• The woman is also required to receive a sonogram before an abortion in Texas. The sonogram must allow her to see the developing baby and hear the heartbeat if she chooses. The clinician must also explain the developmental stage of the baby. Our agency can refer you to local Texas pregnancy resource centers that can provide you a free sonogram.
• The woman must wait 24 hours after receiving the sonogram and paperwork before having the abortion.

In an adoption, the woman will be matched with an Options Counselor who will begin working on her behalf immediately. This may include providing free counseling, helping her obtain health insurance and finding her an OBGYN. These services are free and available for expectant parents and do not commit the expectant mother to adoption. She can change her mind and choose to parent at any time.

The second trimester – The pregnancy is progressing

The second trimester consists of weeks 13-28, or months four, five and six. A woman has until 20 weeks of gestation to have an abortion in Texas. Between weeks 17 and 20, the procedure must take place in a surgery center or hospital, not an abortion clinic.

During the second trimester, the risks and cost of abortion can become a large factor in the unplanned pregnancy options by month.

• The price varies according to how far along the pregnancy is and how involved the procedure will be. A pill form of abortion, available in the early weeks of a pregnancy, is less expensive than a surgical one.
• The cost of a surgical abortion generally ranges from $300 to $1,500, and most health insurances do not cover this cost.
• Surgical abortions in Texas, while considered safe, are still a medical procedure and come with risks that increase as the pregnancy progresses.

If an expectant mother chooses adoption for her pregnancy, our Texas adoption agency will help her create an adoption plan. Once she makes an adoption plan, she can begin receiving help with reasonable living expenses, such as rent and groceries. All of her medical bills are covered by the adoption agency, with no financial retribution if she changes her mind and decides to parent.

The third trimester – The final unplanned pregnancy options by month

Abortion in Texas is illegal during the seventh, eighth and ninth months of gestation, unless the mother’s life is at risk or the child has a severe medical problem. Obtaining an abortion in the final months of pregnancy becomes more complex in the third trimester. Parenting and adoption are common choices for expectant parents in this stage of pregnancy.

Many women who call our Texas adoption agency are in their third trimesters. We work quickly to get to know these expectant mothers, understand their needs and form uplifting relationships with them. We either find them the resources they need to parent their child, or we begin providing guidance around adoption. Adoption is a great option for women in the third trimester of their pregnancy who feel that they cannot or do not want to parent.

Contact our office at (817) 899-5000 for more information about pregnancy options by month.