A Birthmothers Friend is a trained volunteer who is matched one-on-one with a pregnant woman, her partner or family member. A Friend listens and provides confidential, nonjudgmental practical assistance, emotional support and spiritual encouragement as long as the woman needs or chooses.
People are often surprised to learn that Birthmothers does very little active recruiting for new Friends. Rather, potential Friends learn about us through the web, their churches, or people they know, and then contact us to volunteer. Many have had experience with an unplanned pregnancy, adoption, abortion, parenting, or other family challenges.
Ultimately, those who are trained and enrolled as Birthmothers Friends have felt a call to serve women in the capacity of a Friend, have a special heart to serve the hurting and vulnerable, and have a deep faith in Jesus Christ.
We thought you’d enjoy hearing directly from volunteers about why they felt called to become a Birthmothers Friend and serve women who face an unplanned pregnancy.
Referral from a doctor
“I’m a single mom of a 6-month-old from an unplanned pregnancy. I’m interested in becoming a Birthmothers Friend because I’ve been through this kind of situation myself. God calls us to love and support each other. Please let me know what the next step is.”
Referral from the web
“My husband and I have both biological and adoptive children. Over the last several months, I have felt called to serve in a pro-life ministry of some kind. As I searched online, I found the Birthmothers website. I wish my adoptive child’s birth mother had had a Friend during her pregnancy. Now I can see that this is where I’ve been called to serve.”
Referral from a family friend
“I was happily married, educated, financially stable, and had lots of family support when I became pregnant with my first son — and my pregnancy and his birth were still very difficult. Actually, all three of my pregnancies were challenging though joyful. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for pregnant women who don’t have all those blessings. I truly feel called to serve pregnant women and new moms, mainly because I understand firsthand how challenging it is to be a mother, both physically and emotionally.
I think our society as a whole does a poor job of equipping women (and men) with the challenges of bringing a new little person into the world, especially when the pregnancy is unplanned. That’s why ministries such as yours are so important. I would so love to befriend a woman in need!”
To learn more about becoming a Birthmothers Friend, visit our “Becoming a Friend Frequently Asked Questions.”