Claudia’s story
“We never had to buy diapers,” says Claudia, whose twins were five months old at the time of the interview. “We never really had to buy clothes.”
Claudia couldn’t believe she was pregnant. She and her boyfriend, Ty, had experienced a miscarriage just two months prior and hadn’t expected to become pregnant again so soon. In addition to this, Claudia felt like she had just started her career as a real estate agent.
“These are my first children, so I was like, am I ready to take on this huge responsibility?” she remembers. Claudia considered abortion, which led her to finding CPC’s pregnancy medical clinic. “I was terrified of having children. I felt like I was too young. … We went back and forth about it. … I started to be like, OK, maybe I’m not ready.”
Although she was roughly 16 weeks pregnant, Claudia had not yet had an ultrasound appointment. In the case of her previous miscarriage, the couple had gone to their first appointment and learned that there was no heartbeat, so Claudia half expected not to see anything when she went to the ultrasound appointment at CPC’s pregnancy medical clinic. “When I [saw] something, I was like, wow, this is real.”
But that wasn’t the only surprise in store for Claudia. The ultrasound revealed not just one heartbeat, but two! “I burst out laughing. I was like, you’re joking,” she remembers. “I called [Ty], first thing. I was like, you’re never going to believe this.”
After the ultrasound, Claudia’s advocate helped her process the news that she was carrying twins: “She gave me so much information, a really thick packet, … and that also helped influence my decision to keep [the babies], because I felt like I have resources, and I have people I can go to if I have questions.”
Claudia and Ty also signed up for CPC’s Great Expectations Parenting Class. During the 20-week course, they learned about everything from what to expect in labor and delivery to how to care for their twins after birth. “I felt like I got a good foundation of information,” says Claudia.
With that, the couple received baby clothes, blankets, and diapers. “We never had to buy diapers,” says Claudia, whose twins were five months old at the time of the interview. “We never really had to buy clothes.
That helped us out so much, because we were able to stockpile enough resources for them, to the point where we even had extras, and we’ve helped out other families once they grew out of their clothes. … [The class] was a godsend experience.”
“The team [who facilitated the class] is amazing,” adds Ty. “They treat everybody the same. They always want the best for us. Not only is it a program—they actually treat us like family. … Even up to this point, they still contact us. … I think that’s beautiful.”
Being parents, they say, is challenging but worth it. “There are hardships, but, overall, it’s a beautiful thing,” Ty says. “You get to experience things that, if you’re not a father, you would never experience. I feel like that’s why we’re here, why we’re put on Earth—it gives purpose.”
For all those who financially partner with the ministry of CPC, Claudia would like to encourage you: “Your contributions are impacting so many families, which directly impacts the future. It directly impacts the world that we live in, because if you have kids that grow up in a family environment, where the parents feel supported, they’re happier. They’re able to grasp more opportunities that directly improve the quality of life for the child. The child grows up in a better environment and goes out into the world to make it a better place. … I can’t really thank [you] enough for being generous in that way.”