Pregnancy options

Once you’ve confirmed you’re pregnant, the next step is to decide what you would like to do about being pregnant. Sometimes it’s an easy decision, but sometimes it can be difficult if you are in a complicated situation. It can help to talk through your options with family/whānau, friends or a healthcare professional such as your GP or Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa counsellor.

Below you can find our about 4 options below – parenting, whāngai, adoption and abortion – as well as things you can think about and people you can talk to to help you decide what to do when you find out you're pregnant. 

You can choose to have your baby and become a parent either with your partner or on your own. You will need to find an LMC (lead maternity carer)(external link) – either a midwife or obstetrician – to provide maternity care for you. See our sections on pregnancy and parenting.

You can choose to continue with your pregnancy and whāngai your baby. Whāngai(external link) is the Māori tradition of a child being raised by a relative or relatives who are not the birth parents, eg, grandparents or other whānau members. It’s an informal arrangement and can be short or long term. The child usually has an ongoing relationship with its birth parents. Learn more about customary fostering and whāngai(external link)

You can choose to continue with your pregnancy but adopt your baby out to another family after birth. Adoption is a permanent legal agreement where the adoptive parents have full parental rights and responsibilities. Most adoptions in Aotearoa New Zealand are open, meaning the birth parents and adoptive parents know of each other and can agree to ongoing contact if desired. Learn more about the adoption process(external link) on the Orangi Tamariki website.

If you do not want to continue your pregnancy, having an abortion may be an option. In Aotearoa New Zealand, a qualified health practitioner can provide you with abortion services up to and including week 20 of your pregnancy. 

If you are more than 20 weeks pregnant, a qualified health practitioner may provide abortion services if they reasonably believe that the abortion is clinically appropriate in the circumstances (taking into account your physical and mental health and overall wellbeing and the gestational age of the fetus). The practitioner must consult with another qualified health practitioner before providing abortion services. Read more about abortion.

Family/whānau, relationships, school, work, money, life goals, health, safety, and personal beliefs – most people think carefully about many of these things before making a decision about a pregnancy.

Consider how you feel when you think about parenting, whāngai, adoption and abortion. What do you want for your future, and for your family or future family?

It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• How would my decision affect my future?
• How would my decision affect my family or other children?
• Am I ready to go through pregnancy and childbirth?
• Am I ready to raise a child right now?
• Do I have strong personal or religious beliefs about abortion, parenting or adoption?
• Is anyone pressuring me to make a certain choice?
• Will my family, my friends and my partner support my decision?

It may also help to imagine having a conversation with your future self, say in 10 years time, and consider what advice they may have for you. This can help you gain perspective on a situation that may feel overwhelming at this point in time. 

There are lots of factors to consider, and it’s totally normal to have many different feelings when you’re thinking about your choices. Lots of people lean on others for support and advice as they’re making their decision. It’s good to choose people who you know are understanding and won’t judge you.

Talking with your partner, someone in your family/whānau, a friend, a trusted advisor or a counsellor about pregnancy options can be helpful when you’re trying to figure out what to do.

No one should pressure you into making any decision about your pregnancy, no matter what. Only you know what’s right for yourself at the moment. So getting the info and support you need from people who’ll give you the real facts and will support you is important.

Free professional counselling for those considering abortion is available to all New Zealand residents and can be accessed via referral from your GP or through abortion clinics. You can also find a counsellor(external link) yourself to talk about how you are feeling, discuss all your options and support you to make the decision that is right for you.

If you're feeling anxious and overwhelmed, or just need someone to talk to, free call or text 1737 anytime(external link), 24 hours a day to speak to or text with a trained counsellor.