At Bella, all of our services are free, completely confidential and designed with you in mind. Along with offering early pregnancy medical services and information on all your options, we offer many opportunities for you to prepare yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually for the choices that lay ahead. In addition, you will receive the encouragement, friendship, and support you need during this time!
Pregnancy Testing
If you think you might be pregnant or had a positive home pregnancy test, Bella is the place to start. We offer free pregnancy testing and provide you with the results during the same visit.
Pregnancy tests used at Bella are lab quality urine pregnancy tests that are more than 99% accurate. Testing is performed by one of our registered nurses as early as one day after your first missed period.
Our services are confidential and any information you share during your visit will be kept private. Our caring staff will also take time to answer many of your questions and address any concerns you have about your potential pregnancy and options.
Although pregnancy tests have a high level of accuracy, they are not considered medical proof of pregnancy. When you have a positive pregnancy test at Bella, the next step before making a decision is a Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy.
Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound
An ultrasound exam is the most reliable way to confirm a possible pregnancy and will help you make a fully informed choice.
Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound is offered at Bella six weeks or more after the first day of your last normal menstrual period (LMP) to confirm pregnancy, determine viability, and determine gestational age of the developing embryo or fetus. These determinations are optimally made between the seventh and twelfth weeks of pregnancy.
A viable intrauterine pregnancy is a term used to describe a pregnancy where the embryo or fetus is alive. Viability is confirmed by determining that the embryo or fetus is in the uterus, progressing at an expected rate, and has a heartbeat.
If you are considering abortion, determining the viability of an intrauterine pregnancy is an important step in your decision making process. If your pregnancy is not viable, an abortion would not be necessary. According to the March of Dimes, as many as 50% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage — most often before a woman misses a menstrual period or even knows she is pregnant. About 10-15% of known pregnancies will end in a miscarriage.
(https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/miscarriage.aspx)
If you are unsure about what to do if you are pregnant, Bella can provide you with the resources you need to make an informed decision. Schedule your free ultrasound today and come in to talk about your options.
Please Note: Bella’s limited ultrasounds do not replace routine obstetrical (OB) scans with your family physician or OB/GYN provider. Bella’s scans make no further determinations beyond the parameters stated above. However, Bella is able to refer you to a local OB provider where you will receive prenatal care and more comprehensive OB ultrasounds.
Confidential Support
Bella is here to be a confidential advocate for you!
Depending on your situation, a pregnancy might bring joy or the weight of the world crashing down on your shoulders. Either way, Bella’s trained Client Advocates are here to walk with you through the upheaval of a crisis pregnancy or rejoice with you in the excitement of a welcome pregnancy. Our client advocates are not paid professional counselors but volunteers who have been well-trained in crisis pregnancy coaching and are willing to invest time, energy, and resources in you as you work through your circumstances and decisions. Bella is not here to talk you into or out of anything, but to provide you with the information and support you need to make informed choices.
Likewise, Bella’s Registered Nurses are here to offer you help, support, and answers to many of your pregnancy-related questions and concerns.
Education on Pregnancy and Parenting
Through the Earn While You Learn program, expectant moms and dads are able to learn valuable information about pregnancy and pregnancy care as well as skills and education on how to care for the baby once he/she is born. As you work through the program with one of Bella’s client advocates, you will earn “Mommy Money” that you can redeem on some of the practical things you will need such as maternity and baby clothing, diapers, baby furniture and other nursery and maternity items. Your partner can also participate in the program, earning “Man Bucks” that can be used for these items as well.
Please Note: The Earn While You Learn Program does not take the place of pre-natal or newborn medical care.
Life Skills Classes
Periodically, Life Skill and/or group classes are available for clients who have come to Bella for early pregnancy medial services or the Earn While You Learn program. Please call Bella for more information on scheduled classes.
Maternity & Baby Items
Bella keeps a limited amount of new and like new maternity clothes, infant clothes, diapers, baby furniture, and other baby items on hand that you can “purchase” with Mommy Money or Man Bucks that you receive through the Earn While You Learn Program.
Post-Abortion Recovery
Women and men who have had abortion experiences often feel alone with the conflicting feelings, primarily of grief and guilt that follow. Many counselors who have explored this issue in depth have identified a condition they call “post-abortion syndrome” which can be identified as an ongoing inability to:
- Work through the pain, guilt, anger and other emotions associated with the abortion experience.
- Recognize and grieve the loss they have experienced.
- Come to peace with God, herself/himself, and others involved in the pregnancy and abortion decision.
At Bella, we want you to know that you are not alone. Millions of women and men, like you, suffer from this loss. Most suffer in silence; but you don’t have to. At Bella we offer post-abortion help and support. If you think you might benefit by talking to one of Bella’s trained client advocates or participating in a group abortion recovery program, contact Bella today to begin the healing process.
Referrals for Community Resources
When you come to Bella, you will not only benefit from the wide array of services we provide, but we will also provide you with information on other programs and services that are available to you in the Northern Hills community as well. For example, we can provide you with referrals for: financial assistance, employment, medical assistance, educational opportunities, adoption services, ongoing professional counseling, housing, legal aid, etc.
Bible Studies
Bella believes that good health involves continued growth and maturity in four important areas of our psyche (humanity): mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. General Bible Studies are offered to interested clients as well as Bible Studies designed specifically for those working through life hurts or post-abortion issues.
