Hello, my name is DestiNae and I was blessed with two beautiful children. In June of 2021 I woke up one beautiful Sunday morning and made a cup of coffee. I took a sip and, in that moment, my favorite beverage made me go buy a pregnancy test (not liking coffee anymore was my first pregnancy symptom with my first born, Jude, 11 months old at the time). Well, that afternoon my husband and I saw two pink lines. I didn’t believe it, so I panicked and Googled and panicked some more.
That same week, I happened to see Options for Women online and made a appointment to confirm with a test and ultrasound. With my first delivery being 6 weeks early, me hemorrhaging 3.5L of blood, my son spending 3 weeks connected to every machine to stay alive in the NICU, I was not ready for another child and was not planning on ever having another one.
Options for Women was there for me. They talked to me and said everything was going to be okay. They gave me prenatal vitamins and some items for my son like diapers and wipes to go home with that same day I got my pregnancy confirmed. They helped me through my entire pregnancy. I did the Earn While You Learn program while pregnant, and they helped me get things like a bassinet and double stroller at no financial cost to me. At Christmas time this last year, I couldn’t afford presents for my son and they signed us up for Christmas child. I was able to put Christmas presents under my tree and food in my fridge that month because of their amazing hearts.
My daughter is 4 months old now, and I am so blessed to have her in my life. I go to Options for Women weekly for adult conversation (which is amazing when all I do all day is talk to a toddler and infant). I’m doing a program now with them called Someone Beautiful, and they are helping me learn patience and to remember to breathe while being a stay-at-home mom. They are always happy to see us when we walk in. They take Jude to get a toy to play with while Aurora and I settle in to start our visit. If it was not for Options for Women, I honestly don’t know where I would be right now. Seriously, they are a blessing. I not only think of them as mentors but also friends.
