Help for Families Facing a Challenging Fetal Diagnosis

The words you never want to hear during your baby’s ultrasound: “It looks like there may be something wrong…” and you’re now facing a challenging fetal diagnosis.

Joy and excitement can quickly turn to sadness, fear, and uncertainty when facing the possibility of an adverse or challenging fetal diagnosis. Families are often immediately flooded with medical information, terms and phrases they’ve never heard, and even faced with the gut-wrenching decision of whether to continue the pregnancy.

Families in this situation need information to make an informed and empowered choice. The Ezrah program is another another way that AbbaCare Pregnancy Resource Center in Winchester, VA and Martinsburg, WV can minister to people in difficult circumstances, and is a beautiful new iteration of our life-affirming mission and vision to “Equip with Truth and Empower with Hope.” 

For the name of the program, we have chosen “Ezrah” which is the Hebrew word meaning: help, support, assistance, aid, either human or divine. It is often used in the sense of a helper or assistant, one who assists and serves another with what is needed.

The Ezrah program serves families facing a challenging fetal diagnosis through FOUR main components:

1. Care – holistic, spiritual, emotional and compassionate care for families who have received an adverse fetal diagnosis. Time and space to process that they’ve been told. Validation of their feelings, and an assurance that they are not alone.
2. Information & Resources – reliable, accurate information about all of their options, self-advocacy (what questions to ask, etc.), and information/sources to consult for the child’s diagnoses. Another possible component we may offer is a non-medical ultrasound.
3. Referrals – referrals to OB providers, specialists, etc. for 2nd opinion or care specific to their needs, as well as referrals to adoptions agencies, perinatal hospice, parent and infant education programs, etc. 
4. Peer Mentoring – connecting clients to pre-screened and pre-trained families who have walked a similar road and can provide ongoing support and encouragement.

 We’d love to hear from you…

…if you have been given news of a difficult fetal diagnosis (or know someone who is experiencing this). You are not alone.

…if you have walked down this road and would like to help other families by becoming a peer mentor.

…if you are a medical provider or other human services professional who sees patients or families facing adverse fetal diagnosis and would like to provide those folks with our information.

…if you would like to learn more about the Ezrah program and how your church, nonprofit, or parenting group can partner with us to help these families in meaningful ways.

Please email info@abbacare.org or contact us to learn more about Ezrah.