“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
MARK 9:36-37
Pregnancy Doesn’t Stop Abuse
Can you imagine a woman you care about having no friends or loved ones with her as she delivers a baby?
Areta had three young children and was pregnant with her fourth when she fled her abuser. With her family far away in Nigeria, she had no one except the people at Sheltering Wings to turn to for help.
Her case manager, Carla Leathers, stepped up as she always does. It’s no wonder Areta took to calling her “my American mama.”
And when the young mother went into labor, it’s no surprise she wanted Carla at her side. As her labor stretched into 10, 15, then 20 hours, though, Areta became more concerned with Carla than herself.
“She kept saying, ‘Just go home, mama. You need your rest,’ and I just kept saying, ‘No, I am not going home until the baby is born.’ I couldn’t imagine
not having anyone with me in that situation, and I wasn’t about to leave her alone.”
Expectant mothers have a special place in the hearts of Sheltering Wings‘ case managers.
“I’ve been at four births so far,” Carla said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. Being pregnant is a really hard time, and then it’s the most beautiful time. It’s an honor to be asked to watch a newborn come into a world of safety.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that one in six women experience abuse for the first time while she’s pregnant, and abusers abuse more than 320,000 pregnant women every year.
Thanks to your support of Sheltering Wings, mothers like Areta can have a safe and joyous delivery. Read on to learn more about the people you help at Sheltering Wings.
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