Mountain Area Pregnancy Services brings Acceptance and Luxury to its Clients
By Meg Hale Brunton
Autumn (34) had taken a couple of at-home pregnancy tests that indicated she was, in fact, pregnant, but still wanted to confirm it with a medical professional. At the time, she had no insurance, nor did she have a regular doctor. Also, money was tight and Autumn wasn’t eager to pay for an expensive ultrasound. “Trying to find support early on in pregnancy (especially an unexpected pregnancy) can be intimidating,” she admits.
Autumn had heard of Mountain Area Pregnancy Services (MAPS), but was concerned that a Christ-centered outreach ministry would not be a good fit for her, since she was not religious. Happily, she was surprised to find that the staff at MAPS were friendly, non-judgemental, and fun to engage with. “They were just really happy, and I was happy too,” she explains, adding that the team was always positive, communicative, and helpful to her. Autumn made a special connection with one of the team members, the parenting coordinator Meribeth. At the time, Autumn was having conflicts with her baby’s father and Meribeth was always available to listen, and refrained from offering quick solutions to her problems. “She was just really easy to talk to about the whole thing.”
Meribeth and the rest of the staff at MAPS made Autumn feel comfortable and cared for throughout her pregnancy. “It was just so nice to have them for support and as a liaison as I explore what it takes to be a successful mom,” she says. She goes on to say that the training she got through MAPS’s online parenting videos gave her a good introduction to parenting, and provided an excellent baseline for what she could expect to need as a new mom. Autumn was even able to earn a pack n’ play and lots of other parenting products through the MAPS point program. “I always felt like I was born to be a mom in some way or another, and have been preparing for that for a long time.”
In addition to always making her feel warm and safe, Autumn appreciated how convenient the MAPS facility was, and how they were always there to help her get pregnancy supplies, like prenatal vitamins, even on short notice. “It didn’t feel clinical; it felt luxurious. It was a sweet, fun place to be,” Autumn says of MAPS. Eventually, she went to a regular OB/Gyn facility and found it to be much less comfortable than MAPS’s office. “Working with MAPS was kind of fancy, and that was nice. [They have] quality care with a homey feeling without the expensive cost.”
Autumn was overjoyed to welcome her baby boy into the world late last March, an experience she found to be wonderful and wild at the same time. Even after giving birth, she continued to share her experience with MAPS with others, and recommended MAPS to other pregnant women she met. “You can’t go wrong with MAPS. I just feel like that is a resource for so many people,” Autumn says, continuing that it is always better for women to have too many options than not enough. “[MAPS is] a good place to start when you’re trying to figure out what you want in a medical provider.”
For more information about Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, visit their website: https://mtnpregnancy.com/
