Jenifer’s Story

Last June (2017), I walked into my appointment with Lakes Area Pregnancy Support. This was not my first visit with the support center in Brainerd, but it was the first time my results were a positive for pregnancy. My main supporter at LAPS from the very first moment has been Kaydi, Client Service Director. Kaydi made me feel special and I could tell she really listened. Her caring nature provided me with a genuine attentiveness; she made sure I was comfortable while I was there.

During this time, it was the privacy and it was also the confidence that I would be treated with respect that meant everything to me. The other thing I was searching for I happened to find on the same day as the positive test results…  Kaydi and I discussed marriage counseling further while deciding to go ahead with a weekly program titled ‘Prepare-Enrich’.

Both my husband and I joined Kaydi and her husband, Paul, for a 2-hour session weekly on Tuesdays at the support center. There was flexibility with scheduling and it was an event we looked forward to going to because we were learning a lot about each other that we hadn’t really discovered before. The sessions were structured and there was homework in between our visits, but it wasn’t difficult to find the opportunity to practice some more “active listening” with one another in our everyday lives. Focusing on communication only had benefits for us.

Fast forward to today, we have our new little baby boy with us now. Connor was born on January 22nd, 2018 and we have shared wonderfully beautiful moments together as a family.

David and I would like to thank the Lakes Area Pregnancy Support for creating a safe and friendly place for parents (and parents-to-be) to go into and feel cared about. A place for us to listen to advice and a place for us to ask questions. We really appreciated the program and enjoyed our time at the support center.

-Jenifer Williams, Brainerd resident