Jessica Gore

Sitting in the Burleson Pregnancy Aid Center, realizing that my pregnancy test was positive – I lost it. My mother would kill me! I was eighteen years old and did not want a child. From the start, the Center was there for me. A staff member offered to call my mother for me, and she helped me tell her.     
 

The Burleson Pregnancy Aid Center offered me a free sonogram. I went to the sonogram appointment even though I had already been to Planned Parenthood and thought that abortion was right for me. But when I looked at the sonogram screen, I knew that I had been lied to. What I saw on the screen was not a “piece of tissue” like Planned Parenthood had told me. The tiny flicker of light, a heartbeat, was my child. I was instantly in love. Still, I believed I could not raise a child. I was considering adoption and the Center was there to support me with my decision. I attended prenatal classes at the Center where I learned how to have a healthy pregnancy.
 
On September 12, 2003 I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and instantly knew I wanted to parent her. My mom and I named her Janelle Brianna. Again, the Center helped me. I would have been lost without their guidance. Through their programs I earned items for my child such as clothes, crib, and a car seat, things that had seemed an impossibility. I learned how to care for my infant daughter through parenting classes. More than that, they offered love and support.
 
I am now married. My husband and I have two children  together. I returned to the Center with each pregnancy, and each time they helped me. I would not be the person I am today if it hadn’t been for the caring people of the Burleson Pregnancy Aid Center and the experiences I’ve had there. Without them, my daughter would not be alive and I can not imagine my life without her. 

Read more testimonies from Heartbeat's Babies Go to Congress.