Stanton Mom Amber and Baby Zoe - Their Story
We’d like to tell you a story about a baby named Zoe and her mom Amber. We can’t use their real names for privacy reasons, but we can share with you the words that Amber told us directly and gave permission to publish. Please read on for this important, powerful story!
Baby Zoe is alive today because of Stanton Healthcare.
Baby Zoe is a living testimony to the power of love - the love of a mother and the love of Christ that illuminates even the darkest places.
I had the privilege of meeting Zoe and her incredible mother, Amber, when they stopped by the Stanton Mobile last week. From the moment Amber stepped into the Mobile holding Zoe, I couldn’t stop oohing and aahing over this perfect baby!
Then we sat down and I heard Amber’s story. I was so moved by what she shared that I knew I needed to share it with our faithful friends and supporters, with her permission. I hope you are blessed and encouraged.
In the spring of 2022, Amber says, “I was out clubbing… I ended up meeting this guy… And I ended up getting pregnant.” Already a mom of 4 kids, with the youngest age 10, she says, “I really didn’t want another baby. I didn’t want to start over.”
“I went to Planned Parenthood several times, and something in me kept saying, ‘No, don’t do it. Don’t do it.’”
Amber was planning to have an abortion. She didn’t see any alternative -- until she saw the Stanton Mobile Clinic outside Planned Parenthood after one of her appointments.
Inside the Mobile that day, Stanton staff members Laura and Barb were waiting for walk-in clients. They were ready for Amber when she knocked on the door without an appointment, and they didn’t hesitate.
“We invited Amber in, and she opened up to us right away,” says Laura. “She was obviously distraught and crying, and we knew our job at that moment was just to listen and give her the space. She hadn’t told anyone about being pregnant, not even her closest friends. Her boyfriend was incarcerated, and she wasn’t ready to start over again with a new baby.”
“I just needed somebody to vent to,” Amber told me. “I talked to them, they were talking to me. They never judged me, they never looked down on me… they just sat there and heard my story.”
Laura and Barb didn’t rush to “do” anything. They saw the needs of their client -- and they responded with care and compassion. When Laura offered Amber an ultrasound after the positive pregnancy test, Amber was still hesitant. With that, Laura and Barb just sat back and let her continue to talk through her concerns.
“She was very concerned with the well-being of her child even while saying she was considering an abortion,” says Laura. “I told her: ‘It sounds like you’re an amazing mom, and you want to give them better than what you had. We have all these supports and resources to help you.’
“She just needed to work through in her head what she was going to do, without being pressured, and we gave her the space and lack of judgment to do that.”
Finally, Amber was ready for an ultrasound exam. Barb, an experience Registered Nurse, was unsure if a heartbeat could be found because the pregnancy was so early, but the Lord provided - and Amber baby’s heartbeat was heard for the first time, there in the Stanton Mobile.
In that moment, says Laura, “The reality of the humanity of her baby hit her.”
After the ultrasound, the women spent more time talking through Amber’s options. Laura presented information about adoption, parenting, abortion, and the ramifications of each choice. They talked about Amber’s church experiences and her spiritual needs. It had been a long, emotional day, and Amber finally left the Mobile with an invitation to return and a lovingly curated gift bag filled with resources and educational materials.
At this point, Laura and Barb weren’t still unsure of what Amber would choose to do, but they committed to praying for her as they waited. It was a time of uncertainty - but our Stanton staff didn’t back down from standing in that place with their client.
Two weeks later, Amber returned to the Mobile. She wanted to talk through her options again.
Amber wasn’t familiar with how private adoptions work and the rights of biological mothers, so Laura and Barb connected her with a Stanton partner adoption attorney. They wanted to make sure Amber had all the information and resources she needed to be empowered to make an educated decision. Amber ultimately chose not to place her baby for adoption, but she was grateful that Laura and Barb took the time to present her with all the options.
Over the next few months, Amber returned several times to the Mobile to visit with Barb (by then, Laura had moved to Utah). “I felt like I built a relationship with them in that short period of time,” Amber told me, “and it’s why I kept coming back.”
In the end, Amber chose life for her baby.
Precious Zoe was born in February, and her 4 older siblings adore their beautiful baby sister. Baby Zoe is the light of her mother’s life, and during our recent visit in the Stanton Mobile I could see how much Amber adores her beautiful baby. It was a joy to witness this mother and daughter together!
Amber shared with me that Laura’s encouragement made all the difference: “Laura was like, ‘You got this. You already have the other 4 kids, those are going to be your helpers. Just stay strong, and you’re not going to struggle as much as you think.’ And she was right. The stuff that I need, I got it now. Out of nowhere I got a job… I was doing great… I didn’t have to struggle.”
As I have served at Stanton for the past 6 months, I understand how powerful the words of a client advocate can be. I know how critical it is for our staff to be covered in prayer, to remain in prayer, and to trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide conversations. Laura and Barb played critical roles in Amber’s incredible journey from dark despair to bright hope, because they were willing to walk with their client through the hardest places.
As Amber shared her story with me in the Mobile, she was open about her original plan to have an abortion and her subsequent conversations with Barb and Laura. Amber said simply, “If it wasn’t for them, she [Zoe] wouldn’t be here.”
Well, I know that it takes a strong mother to choose life in the face of the most difficult circumstances, and I give all credit to Amber for her brave choice. At the same time, it is clear that Laura and Barb saved a baby’s life over the course of those weeks and months in the Stanton Mobile. They showed Amber the love of Jesus, and she could see the difference.
At Stanton Healthcare, the difference is Jesus’s love.
The love of Christ is in the hearts of our staff, and our clients know it. The love of Christ is in the prayers and gifts of our supporters and partner churches, and our staff can feel it.
When the darkness of sin and death looms in the lives of Stanton clients, the love of Christ is the light that drives away the dark. All glory to God for the gift of Zoe’s life!
Thank you for doing your part to save Amber and baby Zoe from the violence of abortion. The Stanton Mobile is open 4 days a week outside Planned Parenthood, because of partners like you who pray, donate and serve.
We are working to increase our hours, because too many women like Amber walk into Planned Parenthood 7 days a week -- women who could be supported and encouraged and empowered to choose life, but no one is there to show them the love of Christ.
If you don’t already make a monthly contribution to Stanton SoCal, please consider setting up an automatic donation.
If you already give to Stanton, please consider making a special gift in honor of Stanton Baby Zoe! Every donation is tax-deductible and goes directly to the ministry’s life-saving work.
You can visit StantonSoCal.org/donate to make your gift today, or send a check made out to Stanton Healthcare to P.O. Box 189, Wrightwood, CA 92397.
Thank you for standing with Stanton as we work to Create a Community of Hope, right here in our High Desert. Please continue to pray, give and serve. We need your support!