Call Helpline: 913.962.0200

Month: September 2017

Pregnant, Again. Finding Help That Made A Real Difference.

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Just how much help can Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) provide someone in a difficult situation? This story, shared from an actual client here, tells the beautiful tale of months of help, hope and encouragement. Exactly what she and her family needed – even down to diapers, a Thanksgiving meal and wrapped Christmas presents!

When you walk through our doors, you have found a friend for the long haul. One that can give actual help for whatever season you find yourself in.

I first came to Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) in May, 2015. I was a stay-at-home mom of a 7-month-old daughter, and suspected I was pregnant again.

I was pregnant, but it was extremely early, so the pregnancy test had showed negative. Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) encouraged me to come back in a few weeks and take another test. I came back a month later and the test was positive. The counselor prayed with me for a healthy pregnancy, I watched a video about pregnancy, she offered a free sonogram, and then she invited me to join Bridges, the class at Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) for moms.

At the time, my husband and I shared one car and lived in a one bedroom apartment. Money was very tight. Going to Bridges gave me a chance to get out of the house, make other mom-friends, learn how to be a better mom, and earn points for baby clothes, diapers, wipes and other needed baby items that, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to afford.

At Thanksgiving that year, Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) gave our family a turkey and all of the sides, allowing us to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at home as a family. Without that help, we would have gone without.

At Christmas, our family received a big bag of wrapped Christmas gifts. We likely wouldn’t have had money for gifts, so this was a huge blessing to us.

Throughout the next year, I continued to attend Bridges classes. I now had two baby girls just 15 months apart, and through simply attending classes, was able to earn points for baby clothes, diapers and essentials for my little girls.

I recently graduated from the Bridges program and am blessed with friendships that will last a lifetime with some of the other moms I met there. I am now the proud mom of three little ones, all under the age of 3! I appreciate Two Lines (formerly Advice & Aid) for all they have done for my family!

Learn more about our Bridges program here:
Pregnancy Help You Are Looking For
You Are Not Alone!
Just for Dads: Men Helping Other Men

If you, or someone you know, is in a situation where you desperately don’t want to be alone, then perhaps a visit with us is exactly what is needed.

Simply make an appointment online, and when you come, you will meet with your very own Client Advocate – someone who will walk with you, cry with you, laugh with you, and be there to answer any question you have. For the long haul!

You aren’t alone and real help is just around the corner!

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Permission to Grieve: When A Miscarriage Occurs

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Miscarriage. No one ever believes that it will happen to them. But unfortunately,  up to 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. It is a silent pain for most women. One that most people never even see. But the pain is real, and cannot – should not – be ignored. One of our friend’s has shared her raw and very personal story of miscarriage. Perhaps you need, as she did, the permission to grieve a child that you will never hold.

All my life I couldn’t wait to get married and have children. I always knew I was going to have 4 kids: 2 boys and 2 girls. So, when I met my husband and he felt the same way, I couldn’t wait to start our family. Of course, our plan was to get married, find good jobs, have a place to live . . . and then we would start building the rest of the family.

Things didn’t go as planned.  About seven months into our marriage, we looked at the 2 lines of a pregnancy test and realized someone was going to join us in his/her own time. Wow! Pregnant? Really? We were still so young!! Yet, we were excited about a baby being part of our lives. It was fun to tell our parents, though a little nerve-wracking at the same time. They were happy for us.

Life continued as normal, except that I knew I was carrying a little baby in my womb. We were so happy. But then, one Tuesday morning while at work, I began to have some spotting.  I had heard that some women experience spotting, so I tried to keep cool. My husband and I talked to some people, called the doctor and were told to just to take it easy.

By end of the week, things were worse. The bleeding got heavier and heavier, and then the pain began. It got so intense that we decided to go to the hospital. I honestly don’t know if it was simply ignorance, but I had no idea that a miscarriage could be so painful. I laid there in the Emergency Room, bleeding, hurting, and definitely having contractions. I can’t even remember if they gave me anything for the pain, but it was bad. My husband held my hand as I cried and cried for I knew we were not going to hold our baby on this side of heaven. Every time we had visited the doctor I had imagined our trip to the hospital to deliver our first born, but it didn’t happen the way I imagined.

Here I was at 12 weeks of pregnancy, delivering but under very different circumstances. No one tells you how painful a miscarriage can be. The pain didn’t stop after the D & C, because then a new kind of pain began – the pain in my heart. Everywhere I went, it seemed there was a pregnant woman. People who knew what had happened often said things like, “You’ll have another one. You are still young.  Don’t cry.” I know they meant well, but these words hurt. I had lost a child, my first child. I didn’t want another one, I wanted that one.  Then my sister said something that helped my journey to healing. She said, “It’s ok to cry. You lost a child.”

Finally, someone understood that I was in pain. Someone encouraged me to grieve.

A miscarriage is difficult. You feel like you did something wrong, or there is something wrong with you.  We need to be gentle with women and their partners when they experience a miscarriage.  If you or someone you know has experience miscarriage, Two Lines Pregnancy Clinic’s (formerly Advice & Aid Pregnancy Center) Awakenings Program may be for you. This program helps women who have experienced infant loss.  Call our office (913-962-0200) and ask for Kelly.

Riding Out The Storms . . . The Emotional Kind

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The news these days is absolutely full of stories of storms. They are even named . . . Harvey, Irma, Jose. The damage, destruction and disruption they bring are devastating to the people in their path. Our hearts break for those who have lost so much. We give what help we can, but otherwise sit back, feeling somewhat helpless.

Physical storms of this magnitude are somewhat rare. But emotional storms brought on by circumstances and choices can invade our lives at any moment. And while their destruction isn’t near as visible on the outside, they can be absolutely overwhelming on the inside.

Keep reading as one of our long-time friends here shares the story of a physical storm she recently went through – and the similarities that storm had with many other, internal storms. Stay with it until the end – there is hope!

The dog kept pacing back and forth. I could hear the wind howling though all the doors were shut. The reflection of lightning flashed brightly on the window blinds. Then, all of a sudden, I began to hear a tap-tap-tap. The sound grew louder and louder and I realized it was hail. The weather man on tv was talking about other areas in the city that were under a tornado warning.

The entire day had been gloomy, windy and unseasonably warm. I understand that often those are just the conditions to watch out for. And then of course, the storm eventually hit.
Physical storms can be very scary. They manifest themselves in heavy rains, wind, hail, thunder, and lighting. While we are in these storms, they can easily intimidate us, making us feel like we have lost control.

Sound familiar? Perhaps you are facing a similar storm in your own life. Not a physical storm that is characterized by wind, rain and thunder, but something that can feel even more threatening: emotional storms brought on by life.

Circumstances come our way that seem to shake us like we have never been shaken before. People say things that ring in our ears like loud thunder. Even well-meaning people in our lives can sometimes push and pull us in directions that we aren’t sure we want to go. Regret and fear can pound through our thoughts with the strength of a mighty storm, drowning out all other thoughts. The life road ahead can get completely shrouded in clouds and uncertainty, leaving us unsteady on our feet; unsure of which direction to go.

But yet . . .

The physical storm that blew through the other night? When it had passed, and the thunder had subsided, the sun came out and the sky looked like someone wiped everything clean. The storm damage was still there, but a new day came, bright and sunny.

The same is true with life. We don’t stay in the storms. Sometimes, they seem like they will never end. But they always do. The calm returns, the sky turns blue, and the sun comes out.

To those who are in the storm right now, hang on, my friend. It won’t last forever. Don’t let yourself think that you will always be in the storm. Don’t make decisions during the storm that you would never make in the sunshine.

Because invariably . . . always . . . the sun will shine in your life again someday.

Do you find yourself in a storm right now – one that seems it will never end? Could you use a listening ear, some sound advice, and a friend who can help bring some calm to your storm?

That’s why we are here. Remember, making life-changing decisions in the middle of a storm is seldom a good idea. Talk to us. You just may start to see the sun peeking out from the clouds!

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