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At the age of 17 I left home. At 19 I became "engaged" to a man who hurt me physically and emotionally. When I became pregnant, his first (and only) suggestion was to abort the child. Being young, unwed, and scared senseless, I did give the idea some consideration but then rejected the thought of killing my unborn baby. |
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I contacted an attorney who was involved with private placement adoptions. He introduced me to a couple who had been in the process of adoption, only to have the baby die three days after birth. This couple described the pain they felt, losing a child they were so close to having. They told me of waiting lists, lists that were so long that by the time they would reach the top of the list, they would have exceeded the age limit and would no longer qualify. I couldn't deny my unborn child the chance to experience these people and their love.  My best friend took me to the hospital on November 1 and called my parents. I had a C-section and brought a beautiful baby girl into the world. For ten days in the hospital Jessica was all mine. The night before I was discharged I called the couple and invited them to come and see the baby. The look on their faces as they viewed Jessica through the nursery window was more than compensation for the pain I was feeling. The next day I left the hospital in tears, without my little girl, resolved to start my life anew.
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