American Adoptions asked adoption veterans, “What is the ONE piece of advice you would offer to someone just beginning the adoption process?”
This is what they shared:
“Have faith and keep going until you have that baby in your arms! No matter how long it takes or how many bumps in the road there may be, once you have that baby you will forget all the tears you shed along the way and there will only be joy.” – Jackie & Steve D., adoptive parents
“BE FLEXIBLE! With our first adoption, we had a weekend to get ready. For our 2nd one, we had 24 hours. You never know when the call will come or how the events will play out.” – Carrie D., adoptive mother
“Don’t give up and give each match 100% enthusiasm. It hurts the same amount if a match fails so you might as well treat each one as if it will succeed. So go ahead and decorate the nursery and purchase those baby clothes. Just keep in mind you are decorating for your baby whoever that ends up being. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions and to know what to expect out of a match.” – Christina W., adoptive mother
“Be prepared for success and failures…If there is a failure, use your support system shamelessly! We had a failure in November 2010, but were matched again march 2011. Our friends and family kept us going while we waited for our happily ever after J” – Rebecca L., adoptive mother
“It’s your choice, and you have to think in the future. That’s what helped me do it. I thought in the future, I was only going to be 22 or 23 having to find daycare for her, trying to get a job, trying to get my life started. It’s your decision in the end, but I feel like a lot of people get pressured into different decisions. You’ve got to be strong and fight through all the crazy hormones that you have when you’re pregnant. Because it’s not really about you, it’s about that baby, and that’s all that matters. I think being able to have someone’s point of view that is open to either choice, that helps a lot. If you can learn about both situations, learn if you’ll be able to do it financially or if you’re strong enough to do adoption, that helps a lot.” – Randi, birth mother
What’s the one piece of advice you would give?
