(60-minute Workshop Panel) This is a very rare opportunity to hear directly from birth moms — why they chose adoption for their babies, what they expected and what was on their hearts at the time. Learn whether & how they stayed involved in the child's upbringing, how they got support & care after placement, and how they feel now looking back on their decision.
Linda's Story
Triple the Love! The Gift of Open Adoption
I am an adoptive mom and an open adoption pioneer. In 1993 when my husband and I decided to adopt a baby, we signed up with an agency that was practicing a new kind of adoption called Open Adoption. This is an arrangement in which the biological parents and the adoptive family know each other’s identities and choose to remain in contact after the adoption is finalized. This arrangement surprised us as we assumed that most adoptions were closed, sealed, and secret since that had been the prevailing practice for many years.
Laura's Story
From ‘Burden to Blessing.’
In the early years of college, my voice was stolen from me in a way I didn’t fully realize until later. Unable and unwilling to process the trauma in a healthy manner, I dove into my studies. As a musician, I hid in the practice room, preparing for multiple ensembles and voice lessons. I did my best to keep appearances. I was able to graduate with two degrees, cum laude in four years. Next up: grad school. As the practice & study routine that I’d become accustomed to was interrupted, the trauma of my past caught up to me. I started to experience flashbacks that affected my relationships and kept me up at night.
Ricky's Story
Of two things I am certain: 1) that my daughter loves me and 2) that I made the right choice. I am a birthfather and 24 years ago I chose to place my daughter, Belle, in open adoption.
When I think back about our pregnancy and Belle’s birth, it’s hard to pinpoint any singular moment in time when her birthmother and I decided that adoption was right for us. There was no “light-bulb” moment, no aligning of the stars. It’s complicated and it was hard for us and our families, but it was the right choice for Belle. I am 41 years old now and it still makes my heart race just think back about that time in my life.
Nicole and Jeff's Story
My wife and I had a lot of difficulty becoming parents. We had multiple miscarriages and ended up going the IVF route. When this finally, worked, our little girl was born at 25 weeks and 5 days and 1lbs and 14.5oz.
As such, when we wanted another child, we were very interested in going the adoption route. We had our concerns including but not limited to would we feel the same about our adopted child as we did our daughter, what is the family medical history like, would the baby be healthy, will the baby ever want to leave us and go back to their birth parents when they get older?