On March 31, Theresa Lemunyon welcomed her beautiful baby into the world.
Theresa needed some help, and because of the coronavirus, she was having a hard time finding it.
“No other place was accepting anyone,” she explained.
That was the case until she connected with Good Counsel, a Catholic nonprofit that helps pregnant women and new moms in crisis at their various shelters.
“As soon as we reached out to the Good Counsel they called back,” she said. “And if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a place and my son wouldn’t have had a place. He’s my first child, so it means a lot.”
Over 100,000 babies are born yearly in New York City, and coronavirus can’t stop that.
In fact, just at Brooklyn Hospital Center there have been almost 200 deliveries since the beginning of march.
Good Counsel is open and ready to help women who are experiencing all kinds of hardships, from losing their job to escaping a dangerous home.
But president and co-founder Christopher Bell says there’s a problem.
“Fewer women are calling us on our 24/7 hotline, fewer women are emailing us,” he explained. “But we are here, and we are open and we are doing everything we would normally do for any pregnant woman who is in need.”
Bell says they’re keeping everything at Good Counsel sanitized and moms quarantined – and of course, praying.
They’re doing all they can to help during this difficult time, and for house manager Dominique Coston, that meant delivering a mom’s newborn at the hospital.
“When she told me she had to push, I’m like wait, let me call for help. but everyone else was over in the other room and when I happened to look down, the baby was half-way hanging out,” she explained.
Dominique finished the delivery and professional help showed up minutes later. Overwhelmed hospitals are stretched thin while battling the coronavirus, but Dominique’s experience proves Good Counsel will do anything to help mothers and babies.
“I’m just glad that we are able to be that support person for them, and be able to give them that shelter, somewhere to stay, somewhere safe,” she said.
By staying open through the coronavirus crisis, they’re hoping to show mothers and babies that Good Counsel is always ready to lend a helping hand.
You can reach their 24 hour hotline at: (800)723-8331