Pregnancy isn’t easy, and if it’s unexpected and, perhaps, even unwanted, it’s even harder. As many changes as there are in life, suddenly discovering that you’re pregnant, right in the middle of all the other changes, can come as quite a shock. If you’ve unexpectedly discovered you’re pregnant in Orlando, Florida, The folks at TLC Women’s Center would like to help you out.

Whether you still need confirmation that you really are expecting or you’re already trying to figure out what you’re going to do, the volunteers and staff at TLC Women’s Center are dedicated to offering you free, confidential services. You may need to take advantage of the medical-quality pregnancy tests in Orlando, or you may just need a listening ear. Either way, they want to be sure you get all the information you need to have all the facts before you make any decisions. If you are, indeed, pregnant, the decisions you have to make will have permanent effects, so this is a time for some serious research.

Before you get too caught up in the hard questions, start with the easiest one—are you really pregnant? Rather than counting on an at-home pregnancy test, contact the center to set up an appointment for a free, lab-certified pregnancy test in Orlando. They have two facilities, to make it easier for you to get to them. Don’t waste time worrying, if you aren’t even pregnant. If you are, they’ll help you from that point; if you aren’t, they can offer you some other pertinent information, and you can avoid a whole lot of unnecessary stress.

So, what if you’ve taken the tests and you are facing an unplanned pregnancy in Winter Park? What if you’re pretty sure you’re not ready to be a parent? What can you do? What choices do you have? Contact the people at TLC Women’s Center, to get an idea of your options, whether adoption, abortion, or parenting. There is no financial benefit to the center, no matter what choice you make, so you don’t have to wonder, “What’s in it for them?” They want to help you, and the best way they can do that is to give you all the facts. It’s your responsibility…your decision to make.

As they point out on their website, pregnancy isn’t the only possible surprise that can follow sex, and knowing the facts can make a big difference in your future. Besides the pregnancy information, TLC Women’s Center offers information to help you learn about STDs in Fairview Shores. Knowing the risks and knowing how to approach them can protect you from a number of potentially fatal infections and diseases.

Life seems to consist of one change after another. If you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy in the Orlando, Florida area, contact TLC Women’s Center to talk to peer counselors who will help without judging you. Many of the staff have been through what you’re facing, and they want to help you prepare to make the decisions you have lying ahead.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with music, myself, and just as interested in other people’s responses to music. In fact, I sometimes wonder, if I had stayed single, if I would have someday gone into some branch of music therapy. With that mindset, when my husband and I found out there was a little person growing inside of me, I was curious to see how this unborn child would respond to music. This one would be available for round-the-clock observation, and she would be everywhere I was, so I would have opportunity to keep track of different responses to different music.

Right from the get-go, this baby has been surrounded with music, almost 24/7, because she was (literally) stuck with me. In reality, the incessant music input didn’t require a whole lot of adjustment on my part. I had a minimum of a 45-minute drive to and from work, and my desk job allowed for quiet, calm music of my choice in the background, so there was about eleven hours of music per day, right there, with lunchtime usually consisting of an hour’s nap in the car, with the radio or the CD player going the entire time (so I didn’t oversleep). At the time, I was also the organist for our church, so that added a significant amount of time, between practice and services.

Unless my husband was in the car with me and we were talking rather than singing together, there was pretty much always music in the car. It didn’t stop when we got home, either–I’ve always loved to have music throughout the house, especially while taking care of household chores. Right there at the end of the pregnancy, the chores became increasingly more important than usual, especially the home-renovation projects, so the stereo was going almost non-stop.

While packing for the birthing center, we included a selection of some of our favorite CDs, so the music that we’d been playing throughout the pregnancy continued throughout our time at the birthing center. Granted, I didn’t really notice it during the pushing and actual delivery, but I distinctly remember the music before and after. Once we had our baby home, the music–especially the quiet and calm–continued, at bedtime, for sure, if not also throughout the day.

So, has all that music saturation had any effect on our daughter? I don’t yet know. She actually seemed to be more responsive to changes in music before she was born. Most noticeably, in church she would be still all during the song service and then get very squirmy when the music stopped. Also, with a CD of piano and organ solos, her activity level would often shift significantly with switches between the two instruments.

At this point in her development, it is clear that she enjoys having music–she’ll get and keep her musical toys going while she’s playing with other toys. We’re just not yet sure of her general attitude toward music. Time will tell, I suppose (and my curiosity hopes).