For some women, finding out they're pregnant is one of the most joyous moments of their lives. For others, who are facing an unplanned pregnancy, it's one of the scariest. Unplanned pregnancies happen to teenagers, to young women trying to start a career, and to older women who are already mothers several times over and thought they were nearly done with raising children. No matter what stage of life you're in, having a baby is a momentous decision especially when it's not planned.

Part of that fear is due to facing the unknown. That's why counseling is of vital importance for anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy. A prenatal counselor can help you sort through your fears and make the decisions that will be the best for you and your baby. When you can talk about the unknown with a wise counselor, it becomes known. That makes it less overwhelming.

One common fear of a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy is how parenthood will affect her career. It's true that raising a baby will affect your career. You may find, though, after talking through career options with a counselor, you have more choices than you thought you did. Many organizations exist to help women balance a career and motherhood. A prenatal counselor knows how to help you connect with them.

Having a baby doesn't have to mean the end of your education, either. Again, you may have to adjust your plans, but a counselor can help you discover many options to continue toward your degree. Today, with the prevalence of online schooling, that may be easier than ever. Even traditional schooling, though, can be compatible with parenthood. You just need to plan well, and a counselor can help you with that.

If you have fears about how you'll manage to afford raising a child, you can sort through your options and find a workable plan. Your counselor will also be there to help you sort through your emotions about relationships that may have become complicated in the wake of an unplanned pregnancy.

Your relationships with your family, with friends, and especially with your baby's father will not be the same as they were before. That can be heart wrenching. But it's possible to form new, stronger relationships with them, and a counselor can help you find the way to do that. She can also help you grieve over relationships that may be severed permanently and help you find the strength to replace them with new relationships.

Particularly for a young, first-time mother, part of the prenatal period should involve working with a counselor to learn how to care for your new baby. Your counselor can help teach you to breastfeed, how to hold your baby properly, how to diaper and clothe your baby and how to help your baby learn and grow. With good prenatal counseling, you may find that by the time your baby's born, it feels almost like planned parenthood after all.