What Is A Pregnancy Resource Center?

Pregnancy resource centers (sometimes called crisis pregnancy centers) exist to provide non-judgmental, confidential, and free support to women and men who are facing difficult pregnancy situations. Align Pregnancy Services offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, options counseling and education, prenatal and parenting classes and support to young families in our area and post-abortion support to those in need.

Align Pregnancy Services has existed since 1985 and has grown quite a bit. If you suspect you may be pregnant and contact one of our locations, you will be offered an appointment for a free self-administered, medical-grade pregnancy test. You will meet with either a staff member or a trained volunteer at that appointment to confirm your pregnancy and approximate due date. If your pregnancy test is positive and you would like to know your pregnancy options, we are prepared to provide medically accurate information on all three:

Every option comes with hardships, and we believe that education is essential so that you can make an informed decision. We will never attempt to persuade you toward a decision you are uncomfortable with, as these appointments are strictly educational.

Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, you may be offered a free limited first-trimester ultrasound. This ultrasound will help confirm if your pregnancy is viable and how far along you are in your pregnancy. Check out the previous blog, “The Importance of an Ultrasound Before You Decide,” to learn why this is an essential part of what many pregnancy resource centers offer.

Perhaps you are too far along in your pregnancy to be able to consider all three options. We understand this situation may cause stress, anxiety, and fear. If you are leaning toward adoption, we can provide resources and information to help you make that decision. If you choose to parent, we can provide prenatal classes throughout your pregnancy, parenting classes once your baby arrives, and tangible material to help make caring for your baby easier.

Many pregnancy resource centers like Align have baby boutiques. You can earn “care cash” by attending prenatal classes, doing homework, and attending your scheduled doctor appointments. The “care cash” can be used to purchase baby essentials in our boutiques, such as clothing, strollers, car seats, accessories, etc. We even offer free formula, diapers, and wipes to help get families through hard times.

Our parenting classes typically run for about eight weeks and teach fundamental parenting essentials like setting boundaries, healthy discipline, building self-esteem, and discovering a child’s personality type. These classes will help you develop parenting skills, and you can earn “care cash” to purchase items from the boutique.

Lastly, Align offers post-abortion services to women and men who have personally endured an abortion. We are a safe place to share all of your emotions and to receive both hope and healing. We would never condemn you for a past decision nor turn you away.

If you or someone you know could benefit from any of our services, we’d be happy to talk to you today and set up an appointment.