Birthline of San Diego County, Inc.

Birthline, an all volunteer, nonpolitical organization, serves pregnant women and families with small children with compassion and complete confidentiality. Free services include friendship counseling, diapers, clothing, food, pregnancy tests, local referrals.

Why do we exist?

Birthline is a non–profit, non-political, non-denominational organization that exists for the sole purpose of assisting pregnant women and women with small children. We are an emergency pregnancy center. Single or married we assist women to have their babies, rather than opt for abortion.  This is done by providing them with resources for counseling (marital, legal, financial, spiritual), medical referrals and government funding which they may be eligible for, and providing some assistance for immediate physical needs, such as clothing, diapers, formula and baby and adult food.

What makes Birthline unique is that the whole organization is run and staffed with trained volunteers. No one is paid for their services including the executive director and the organization is non-political.

You should care that Birthline exists because our services include friendship counseling, reaching women who would otherwise fall through the cracks of other social agencies and abort their babies for lack of material support and caring.  All Birthline services are free and there are no qualifications a client must meet.  Birthline cares for each mother and helps her to learn to make better choices for herself and her children.  Educating clients is a large part of what Birthline does. We also make many referrals into the community.

What have you accomplished?

     Maria is a 30 year old client and single mother who lost custody of her three previous children due to a drug addition.  She has worked with a drug counselor and Child Protection Social Worker to reunify with her children.  She has been successful in getting shared custody of them.  She has been drug and alcohol free for ten months now.  When she came to Birthline she was pregnant with twins and not involved with the father of the babies due to mental abuse.   

     Due to her lack of consistent prenatal care and other social and economic factors, this made this mother an extremely high risk pregnancy.  We were able to get her medical reinstated, connect her with a High Risk Obstetrician, and obtain mental health care for her.  She was recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and will need continual care and treatment.  There were complications with the pregnancy and she was hospitalized for three weeks prior to the birth of the babies.  They were ten weeks premature, weighed approximately two pounds each, and have had few complications related to their premature condition due to their mom’s compliance with her doctor’s advise.  They are still in the hospital and are doing well and gaining weight.  Mom spends most of her days at the hospital breastfeeding and caring for them.  She has become very focused and organized in taking care of her demanding life schedule. 

     At Birthline we were able too give her support and encouragement, refer her to community resources, in addition to providing food, clothes and books for this mom and her children.  We were also able to give her two layettes for the premature babies.  This mother has little support from family and limited help from friends.  However, she feels her life is back on tract from a very chaotic past.  She is grateful for our kindness, concern, support, and referrals.  Birthline resources and support have made a great impact on this mother and her family’s life.

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