It’s one thing to find out you’re pregnant (especially when you weren’t planning on it), but it’s another thing entirely to find out you’re more than halfway through the pregnancy you weren’t expecting. This is exactly the situation Shiane* found herself in when she first visited the PRC’s crisis pregnancy clinic, Willowbrook Women’s Center.
Devastated. There is no other word to describe Shiane’s reaction as the sonographer announced that her baby was 24-weeks old. Confident that her period was only six weeks earlier, how could this be? This was definitely NOT in her plans. Shiane refused to look at the ultrasound screen. She refused an ultrasound picture. She refused the opportunity to see a model of a baby the size and weight of hers. But one thing she didn’t refuse: five seconds of listening to the unique sound of her baby’s very own heartbeat. Five seconds that probably changed everything.
Initially, Shiane was trying to determine if she could take the abortion pill. You know—just get it over with. Now, with this critical information about the gestational age of her baby, everything changed. This would mean she would have to consider a surgical abortion. As the memory of the heartbeat began to sink in, so did the reality of her situation. Unable to commit to continuing the pregnancy, and unable to commit to aborting the baby, Shiane left in shock, tears, and uncertainty about everything concerning her future.
Before Willowbrook Women’s Center’s staff had a chance to reach out to Shiane, she called the office to inquire about adoption services. It was an option that had been presented to her during her initial appointment. She felt like she had a lot of decisions to make in a short amount of time (which was true). Ultimately, Shiane chose parenting—she chose life. She was able to enroll in the parenting classes and the free maternity clothes giveaway offered at the center. A short three months later, Shiane had a beautiful baby girl. She couldn’t be happier!
What made the difference? Shiane never saw her ultrasound, never had a picture, never held the baby model. Did God use the baby’s heartbeat to connect with Shiane’s soul? A June 27, 2019 article in MIT Technology Review makes the following statement:
“Everyone’s heart is different. Like the iris or fingerprint, our unique cardiac signature can be used as a way to tell us apart . . . It remains constant and cannot be altered or disguised.”
Is it possible that hearing her daughter’s heartbeat had a life-changing effect on Shiane? Despite all efforts from Shiane to avoid connecting with her daughter, she couldn’t “unhear” her daughter’s God-given, unique heartbeat. Is it possible? It is. All things are possible with God.
*Name changed to protect patient