Co-hosted by MHC & Hannah's Home

Join us for our next regional event for maternity housing organizations!

WHERE

Hannah’s Home
8525 Lakeshore Blvd #1516
Mentor, OH 44060

WHEN

Saturday, June 21, 2025
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Come at 9 a.m. for coffee and networking

Lunch provided.

We're so excited to announce a new milestone for the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network! Join with us as we celebrate the life-changing and life-saving work of APRN:

Click here to learn more about this life-saving process and the families it has saved.

by Valerie Harkins, Executive Director of the Maternity Housing Coalition

For many single mothers in maternity housing, the road to healing is not only physical and practical but deeply emotional and spiritual. When a mother carries the weight of a high ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score, she often brings a silent history of trauma that shapes how she parents.

As leaders in the maternity housing field, we must recognize this foundational truth:

You cannot give what you’ve never received.

This is especially true when it comes to emotional presence and nurturing love. For mothers who never experienced consistent affection, safety, or attuned care in childhood, offering those things to their baby can feel unnatural, overwhelming, or even impossible.

Why ACE Scores Matter in Parenting

The ACE study revealed a powerful connection between early childhood trauma and long-term outcomes in physical health, emotional well-being, and relational stability. A high ACE score often indicates exposure to abuse, neglect, addiction, mental illness, or violence in the home. These experiences rewire the brain and nervous system, making it difficult for someone to regulate emotions, feel safe in intimacy, or form secure attachments.

In parenting, this trauma can surface in subtle but significant ways. For instance, a mom may:

• avoid eye contact with her infant, feeling uncomfortable with the intimacy of being seen
  
• scroll on her phone for extended periods while her baby plays or cries nearby, using distraction to numb her own anxiety or dissociation
  
• leave the baby in the crib for excessive amounts of time, unsure how to interact or fearing that her presence won’t matter
  
• grow unresponsive to crying, not from neglectful intent, but because the sound triggers panic, shame, or helplessness
  

These behaviors are not signs of indifference; they are symptoms of deeper pain. They point to a mother doing the best she can with what she’s experienced—and often, that experience lacked nurture.

Parenting with an Insecure Attachment Style

Secure attachment develops when a caregiver consistently responds to a child’s needs with warmth, predictability, and attunement. But when a mother has an insecure attachment—whether avoidant, anxious, or disorganized—she may:

• Struggle to identify and respond to her child’s needs in real time.
  
• Feel emotionally flooded or numb in moments of closeness or distress.
  
• React to her baby’s crying with frustration, shutdown, or withdrawal.
  
• Feel uncomfortable offering affection, believing her presence may do more harm than good.
  

Attachment-based parenting isn’t about perfection—it’s about emotional presence. But for mothers with a high ACE score, presence itself can be terrifying.

This is where specialized support becomes critical.

What Is PCIT: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy?

One powerful, research-backed model that helps mothers break through emotional barriers is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). PCIT is a therapist-guided program where moms are coached in real-time while interacting with their child. It focuses on two major goals:

1. Strengthening connection through praise, reflection, and engagement
   
2. Improving discipline through consistent, calm, effective responses
   

Mothers often learn, sometimes for the first time, that they can be nurturing, present, and effective parents. They are praised for connecting, not just correcting—and that affirmation can be life-changing.

Practical Takeaways for Maternity Homes and Advocates

1. Prioritize Trauma-Informed Parenting Education
   Equip staff, volunteers, and mentors to understand ACEs and how trauma may show up in parenting behaviors. Normalize the struggles without minimizing the importance of growth.

2. Recommend Programs Like Mom Power
   Mom Power is a 10-week, evidence-based group program that combines attachment-based parenting education, stress reduction, and peer support. It’s designed for trauma-impacted mothers and helps build a foundation of emotional safety—for both mom and child.

3. Encourage Studying Attachment Styles
   Help mothers learn about their own attachment style and how it impacts parenting. This self-awareness can open the door to compassion and change.

4. Model Compassionate Curiosity
   When a mother seems emotionally distant, disengaged from her infant, scrolling through her phone during feeding, or unmoved by her baby’s cry, assume discomfort, not apathy. Connection is often uncomfortable before it becomes healing.

5. Remind Moms of God’s Healing Love
   As Christian leaders, we believe no story is too broken for redemption. Remind mothers: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
   The love of Christ is the model and source of our ability to offer love, even when it wasn’t modeled for us.

Parenting education for mothers with high ACE scores is not about fixing “bad behavior.” It’s about healing wounds that were never meant to be carried into motherhood. It’s about offering grace, not guilt, and equipping mothers to give what they are only just beginning to receive: emotional presence, secure love, and godly connection.

For more information on implementing trauma-informed parenting support in your maternity home or connecting with trusted program providers, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to our team today.

______________________

Sources

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/s0749-3797(98)00017-8/pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html

Duration: 6 Weeks | 6 Modules + LIVES on Fridays*
Hosted by: The Maternity Housing Coalition

About This Course

Are you thinking about starting a maternity home but aren’t sure where to begin? Blueprint for Starting Your Maternity Home is a comprehensive 6-week course designed specifically for pregnancy help organizations ready to take the next step in serving women facing unplanned pregnancies.

This foundational course walks you through the critical components needed to launch a successful and sustainable maternity home. Through six focused modules, you’ll gain the tools, strategies, and confidence to move from vision to action.

What You’ll Learn

• Week 1: Starting Point
  Clarify your "why," explore different maternity home models, and assess your readiness for this important work.

• Week 2: Board Model & Responsibilities
  Learn how to structure a strong, mission-driven board and define its essential roles in governance and support.

• Week 3: Structuring the Home
  Conduct a needs assessment, craft a compelling mission statement, and begin developing a framework that reflects your community and values.

• Week 4: Building & Maintaining a Team
  Discover how to recruit, train, and sustain a healthy and effective team of staff and volunteers.

• Week 5: Property Considerations
  Understand zoning laws, location requirements, safety standards, and other key factors when choosing and preparing your property.

• Week 6: Resident Care
  Learn best practices for supporting residents through case management, program development, house guidelines, and holistic care.

*Plus, join us live each Friday for a discussion of that week's topic and a Q&A. This is the perfect time for participants to ask questions and join an open forum with other start-ups.

Whether you’re in the early stages of praying for this mission or already gathering a team, this course equips you with the practical knowledge and strategic insight to launch a maternity home that makes a lasting impact.

HEATHER'S STORY

Lane — Born February 2025

My mom actually planned on getting an abortion with me in 1992 due to an unplanned pregnancy. She went to Save a Life in her town and decided not to abort me. I ended up being an only child. I grew up very prolife and had a baby at 18. I later had 2 more children with my now ex-husband before our divorce in 2023. I ended up unexpectedly pregnant again at 32 years old and was terrified. Me and Lane’s dad had a very toxic relationship, and I was scared of being a single mom of 4 kids.

I took the first of the abortion pills, and it was instant regret. I went to get an ultrasound the next day to check on him, and when I saw he had a heartbeat, I immediately contacted APR to save my baby.

His dad abandoned us for most of my pregnancy, and I went through it alone as a single mom. I am an RN and worked 2 full-time jobs to save for my maternity leave.

In January, I went into preterm labor at 31 weeks and ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks. Lane was born 6 weeks early on 2/3/25 and had a 19-day NICU stay.

Even with all the absolute torment and trauma his dad has put me through, I DO NOT regret my decision for 1 moment. 

God knew I needed this little boy, and I am SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL for him.

I am so thankful for my baby and for the donors who make APR possible.

I know that Lane is here for a reason.

He has survived through a Plan B, abortion pill, subchorionic hemorrhage, and preterm labor. 

I believe God has big plans for his little life, so please share so our story can have meaning and hopefully help other women who wish to reverse their decisions made out of fear.

The devil is a liar, and we have made it through every single struggle. Abortion for me was a decision made out of fear, BUT GOD has seen us through physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, AND financially.

There is still so much ahead for us, but also so much hope.

If the abortion had been successful, then I would’ve had a secret.

Instead, God has given us a story.

And I’m so so thankful <3

by Bryan Gonzalez

In the next 20 years, about $84 trillion will change hands. As an article from CRM giant, Bloomerang, suggests, “...there are only three places where dollars can go — loved ones, government, or charity.”  

While I certainly want to advocate that some of this $84 trillion goes towards the many wonderful charities in the pregnancy help movement, in this article, I want to focus on the reality that, in the next 20 years, many of our top donors will have passed away.

So, the question I want to ask is: How fragile is your donor database? Are you prepared for many of your top donors to pass away?

Exercise

Let’s do a quick exercise:

1. Write down a list of your top 40-50 donors. Or, maybe you need to use your donor database to run that report. (Wait, do you know how to do that with your donor database?)
2. Now, with that list on your screen or on a piece of paper in front of you, write the ages of those donors. (Wait, do you know how old your donors are?)
3. Then, categorize how many of your donors are in the generally accepted generational cohorts:

Having older donors is not necessarily a problem in the short term, but how many of those Generation Xers are poised to replace the Baby Boomers and Traditionalist donors as they are passing on in the next 20 years? And, are we planting seeds with the Millennials to contribute more significantly in the next 5-10 years?

If a donor gives from his business or company, but then passes away, will his company continue to donate? I would suggest having conversations with the donor about his legacy, or begin talks with the next generation of leadership about continuing the donor’s legacy even after he is gone.

Naturally, this will lead to conversations about estate planning or possibly a planned gift, and that’s certainly important in fundraising. However, the exercise this month is to determine how fragile your database is, so that you are better poised to react to seismic shifts in your donor database in the not-too-distant future.

Here are some final stats to noodle over:

(Apparently, the math doesn’t add up, but I just took numbers from the website. Regardless, you get the general idea.)

Practical Tip:

Based on this information and your analysis of your database, can you now answer the question: How fragile is your donor database?

ICYMI: March 2024, Stay Hungry

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*Do you have topics you’d like me to write on or have comments/feedback on my articles? Please send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Option Line: Find 24/7 Pregnancy Help
Bilingual pregnancy help, plus real-time connections to nurses for telehealth consultations and to Heartbeat’s 3,800+ pregnancy help organizations worldwide.
Use the zip code locator at OptionLine.org to identify local pregnancy help locations.

Maternity Housing Coalition
Find housing availability nationwide for women. Plus, stay up-to-date on the 50+ new maternity housing programs launching in the coming year through the Heartbeat network. 

Prenatal Diagnosis
Help families experiencing pressure to abort following an adverse prenatal diagnosis find life-affirming medical help 24/7 and personal support through local parent care coordinators.

Abortion Pill Rescue® Network
Direct those considering or who regret starting a chemical abortion to immediate medical help for Abortion Pill Reversal worldwide.

PregnancyHelpNews.com
Follow the latest news of global pregnancy help and stories of hope.

PregnancyHelpPodcast.com
Subscribe for updating and equipping in your pregnancy help work.

 

To stay connected with the life-affirming pregnancy help community, follow Heartbeat International on:

   

Kathy Jerman

Director of Affiliate Services at Heartbeat International

Biography

Kathy Jerman joined Heartbeat International in October 2024 as Director of Affiliate Services, where she uses her gifts and passions to advocate for and equip pregnancy help leaders at both the state and national levels. She is committed to empowering leaders by reminding them they are not alone and providing the resources and support they need to grow in their God-given strengths and leadership journeys. Before joining Heartbeat, Kathy served as Executive Director of New Hope Family Services in Syracuse, NY, where she directed the programs and operations of their pregnancy center, adoption agency, and mobile medical unit. She also currently serves as the President of the New York State Coalition for Life, a network of pregnancy help organizations across the state. She is passionate about supporting state coalitions as they encourage and equip their member organizations to sharpen their mission and strengthen their impact, fostering unity across the movement. Kathy has been married to her husband, Mike, for 30 years. They have four adult children, ages 20 to 27.

Ellen Foell, J.D.

International Program Specialist at Heartbeat International

Biography

Ellen Foell, J.D., serves as the International Program Specialist for Heartbeat International, where she supports over 1,500 affiliates in more than 100 countries. With a background in law and ministry, Ellen first joined Heartbeat as Legal Counsel. After a season of writing and nonprofit advocacy, she returned to Heartbeat to focus on global outreach, offering training, mentorship, and strategic support to pregnancy help organizations. Ellen has represented Heartbeat at the United Nations and her work has taken her to countries worldwide.

A dedicated wife and mother of four, Ellen brings a heart for missions, years of cross-cultural ministry experience, and a deep commitment to life-affirming care around the globe.

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