At age 25 Kristina thought she might be pregnant. And since she was still figuring out her life, she felt she was too young to take on the responsibility of being a mom. The man she was dating had been informed he couldn’t have kids. Both of these thoughts led her to Planned Parenthood, facing reality alone.
Kristina’s intention that day was simply to triple check that she was pregnant. This left her with mere seconds to decide whether to accept the abortion pill as the clinic’s offering of a solution.
“In that moment I told them I wasn’t ready,” said Kristina. “So, I took the first pill immediately and was given additional medication to take in the next 24 hours.”
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This being Kristina’s first pregnancy she found herself crying a lot. Both her best friend and her mom wanted her to continue the pregnancy.
“I was nervous and didn’t feel ready,” stated Kristina. “I didn’t think anyone else would be able to help me.”
The baby’s father would not believe she was carrying his baby and so even to this day Kristina does not have his support.
It has been almost five years since Kristina began this journey, and as she recalls what happened the day after visiting Planned Parenthood, she expresses a lot of gratitude.
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“My mom is the real reason I ended up having my son,” recalled Kristina. “The day after visiting the clinic, I went to work preparing myself fearfully for the next pills to come. I told my mom. She was devastated.”
“I got thinking, maybe this was the wrong decision,” Kristina said. “I texted my mom and right away she started looking up information. She called me frantically telling me to go straight to the ER and that she found a woman who has a reversal plan.”
“I had no faith that this was going to work,” she continued. “I went to one ER, they blatantly told me they never heard of such a thing and didn’t know how to help me.”
Kristina was asked to wait in the waiting area, which she did for two hours before deciding to go to another hospital.
“I went to another ER where the woman said she had been a doctor for 30 years and never heard of this,” recounted Kristina.
Kristina encouraged the doctor to get on the phone with the abortion pill reversal (APR) hotline, which connects to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN).
“She would not listen to me. I looked it up myself and showed her the information online. She took my phone and said she would be right back,” reported Kristina.
The staff did their own research. Kristina recalled watching the doctor sit side by side with another doctor for about 45 minutes.
“Finally, the doctor said, ‘Well I can’t promise this will work, but I will prescribe you the progesterone and I really hope for the best,’ said Kristina.
“In that moment she saved my baby. And my life!” she exclaimed.
Kristina additionally credits her APRN nurse, “who wholeheartedly shares this information to save babies around the world, my baby was also saved!”
The APRN is managed by Heartbeat International and made up of approximately 900 rescue providers and centers who facilitate Abortion Pill Rescue®.
Heartbeat's APR information details the treatment protocol utilizing progesterone to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill. This medication has been available at least since the 1950’s as a treatment to stop miscarriages.
Kristina had what she describes as a perfect pregnancy and the delivery went great.
“Once I realized I could keep him and save him, from that moment on I was a mom and I put my son first,” said Kristina.
Today Christian is a healthy four-year-old. Kristina’s thought that she would do this on her own was correct, but the fear that she couldn’t handle it was wrong.
“Single parenting is hard. But it is worth it,” said Kristina. “I have a whole new life.”
“Every couple of months are different, but it is beautiful,” she said. “He is the most amazing thing in the world. Not always easy, but well worth it, that’s for sure.”
“Christian is smart and funny and kind. Of course, a bit crazy but that comes with being four,” stated Kristina. “I am just beyond blessed. Words could never describe the love and life this reversal has given me.”
“Thank you to the doctor who created this, and all the people who work to provide this information,” she said. “They are truly angels.”
Reflecting back on making such a decision, Kristina said, “Nobody is ever ready. If you can be the person who has nothing or even everything to give, when it comes down to it, this (parenting) is natural and beautiful and you learn as you go.”
Statistics show that more than 1,000 lives have been saved to date through the APRN. The impact of Abortion Pill Rescue and the hope it offers is real, and the real-life stories of women like Kristina bring those statistics to life.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue Network and Pregnancy Help News.
