Completing Their Forever Family Through Adoption Networking!

Josh and Kelly took placement of their beautiful baby girl Ansley in late January this year. The also took the networking challenge as waiting adoptive parents. They signed up and participated in the online courses through My Adoption Advisor, created a profile, website, Facebook page, and YouTube video! Not to mention getting the word out to family and friends that they were looking to adopt!

Through a friend of a friend who knew they were looking to adopt, they connected with their birth mother. Once they established contact with their birth mom, they found it was extremely helpful that they were able to refer her to their website, where she was able to learn more about them and their family.

Since their placement, they have learned that waiting parents are indeed putting themselves out there and networking in an effort to shorten their wait time and best of all… it really works!!! “Networking brought us to our birth parents who gave us the gift of completing our forever family!”, said Kelly.

A big thanks to Josh, Kelly and their family for allowing us to tell the story of their adoption journey.

Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Email us at blog.ach@foryourlife.com. Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

John & Laura’s Networking Adoption Journey

John and Laura took home their newborn daughter Anna Claire from California in March. They call how they found her a miracle, but it’s really an example of how getting the word out to friends and family that you want to adopt can lead you to an adoption situation.

“We took the courses through My Adoption Advisor, had a new profile and webpage created which was posted to Facebook and we also let friends know we were looking to adopt,” said John. “A coworker who knew we were looking to adopt located a distant relative on Facebook who had recently adopted via an agency. In their brief conversation, she shared that she had friends at work who were looking to adopt. That was it; that was the extent of the conversation. The very next day, the agency’s social worker happened to email the adoptive mother and said that she had two birth mother situations, and was looking for potential adoptive families. Our friend’s relative forwarded the email to her who sent it to Laura who called and spoke with the social worker. We shared our profile webpage with the social worker who showed it to the potential birth mother. Within 24 hours we were matched!”

John and Laura had been waiting since January of 2010 with A Child’s Hope. They had previously worked with another agency for four years prior to signing with A Child’s Hope. “We had already waited for so long for a child, when the opportunity came along to create a new profile and to increase our advertising on a national level, we knew we had to put ourselves out there and give it a try. So we did everything we could – Facebook, advertising, networking, etc. to get the word out – and it worked. Our daughter is everything we had prayed for”, said Laura.

John and Laura will be attending the April 17^th Hopeful Parents Support Group to talk about their adoption journey. They have also invited waiting parents to contact them at JohnandLauraadopt@gmail.com if they have any questions.

A big thanks to John, Laura and Anna for allowing us to tell the story of their adoptive family.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Birth Mom’s – The Testimonial of An Adoption Counselor

“I love working with birth moms because they are essential; ~without them, there is no adoption process!”

“It is such an honor to have a pregnant woman share her journey with me and talk through her thoughts, feelings and experiences that have brought her to the decision that adoption is the right choice for her and her baby. Every woman is an individual and I am reminded of that in working with birth moms because no two women’s journeys are ever the same. I also love hearing why they feel drawn to certain adoptive families and watching the process of birth moms feel a sense of control over the placement of their child. It is a wonderful, unpredictable and always unique experience with every individual, expectant mom.”

– Leslie, A Child’s Hope Adoption Counselor

A big thanks to Leslie for allowing us to share her experience!

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

OPENNESS IN ADOPTION: FROM SECRECY AND STIGMA TO KNOWLEDGE AND CONNECTIONS

A major new report depicts just how extensively adoption in the U.S. has changed over the last several decades – from a time when it was shrouded in so much secrecy that birth and adoptive families knew nothing about each other, to a new reality today in which the vast majority of infant adoptions are “open,” meaning the two families have some level of ongoing relationship.

The institution of adoption has made significant strides in the last several decades, but elements of its clandestine, stigmatized past remain – and, as a consequence, so do many myths, misconceptions and inaccurate stereotypes. One stark example is that even though openness in adoption is fast becoming the norm within the United States (especially in the placement of infants), the very notion of “open adoption” – which entails varying levels of ongoing connections between adoptive families and their children’s families of origin – is unfamiliar, misunderstood and even incomprehensible to much of our culture.

To read this entire article go to: http://bit.ly/UbqzNt

Authors: Deborah H. Siegel, Ph.D. and Susan Livingston Smith, LCSW
Published: 2012 March, New York NY: Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute

Do you have a story you’d like to tell? Email us at ach@achildshope.com. Visit us at www.AChildsHope.com, or call our Birth Mother Hotline at 1-877-890-HOPE (4976) so one of our adoption counselors can answer your questions confidentially.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Indiana Jones meets Ally McBeal – and Adoption Ensues!

It’s a war time love story!

Sal and Kathy met in the Persian Gulf on board a ship. Kathy was a Navy nurse, and Sal was a Merchant Marine. It’s an old story – they fell in love during the war and have been together ever since!

Sal is currently a professor at a private university and studied archeology and history, and Kathy is a lawyer with her own small practice. They love swimming, spending time with family, and being outside. But mostly they love parenting their adopted son, Christopher, now four years old.

Christopher is not so patiently waiting for a brother or sister. “I promise I will even share my toys with my new little brother or sister,” says Christopher. Sal, Kathy and Christopher are anxiously waiting for the phone call to let them know that they have been chosen by a birthmother and a brother or sister for Christopher is on the way!

Thanks to Sal, Kathy and Christopher for allowing us to tell their story!

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Are You Afraid?

There is no way around the fact that there is heartache when you place your child for adoption. You will grieve and over time the pain lessens, but you will not forget the loss. It takes courage and trust to place a baby.

It’s important when placing a baby for adoption that you work with a trained adoption counselor before to learn about the grief you will experience and to prepare yourself. Birthmothers often make keepsake boxes of the baby’s bracelet, by take pictures and writing a letter to the baby saying goodbye.

What helps the most with the heartache is to know that you love your child so much that you have chosen to give him/her the best life possible – something that at the time you are not able to give. Parenting is the biggest challenge all of us face!

Adopting Again!

John and Nora already know what it’s like to adopt a child. Cooper, three years old, joined John and Nora through an open adoption. John and Nora still talk to and see Cooper’s Tummy Mummy regularly, and she’s been thrilled with their parenting. John, Nora and Cooper have five family traditions – eating together every night as a family; breakfast in bed on your special birthday plate; going out for ice cream after the first and last day of school; a good luck meal on New Year’s Day, and during the summer, Friday night is pizza night at the pool! John and Nora’s families live close enough to come by and spoil Cooper on a regular basis. And everyone – especially Cooper – is looking forward to spoiling the next baby as well.

Thanks to John, Nora and Cooper for allowing us to tell the story of their adoptive family.

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Birth Mothers Can Receive Free Prenatal Care!

Prenatal care is important but expensive. We know this. But you need to take care of yourself and your unborn child. Did you know that many of our birth mothers automatically qualify for Pregnancy Medicaid?! We will help you apply and walk you through the process.

Women making adoption plans for their baby can also receive payment of insurance co-payments, as well as any medical expenses that result when Medicaid doesn’t apply and you don’t have insurance. Once prenatal care is set up, your adoption counselor can help you schedule and attend your appointments.

If you have any questions about how to get medical care while you are pregnant, call us. 1-877-890-4673 (HOPE).

Please remember that this is a public site open to anyone; therefore, anything you post can be seen by anyone.

Pregnancy Hotline: call or text (919) 971-4396

Want to Adopt a Child? Call (919) 839-8800

unborn child

Completing Their Forever Family Through Adoption Networking!

John & Laura’s Networking Adoption Journey

Birth Mom’s – The Testimonial of An Adoption Counselor

OPENNESS IN ADOPTION: FROM SECRECY AND STIGMA TO KNOWLEDGE AND CONNECTIONS

Indiana Jones meets Ally McBeal – and Adoption Ensues!

Are You Afraid?

Adopting Again!

Birth Mothers Can Receive Free Prenatal Care!

Birthmother Hotline: (877) 890-4673

Envia Un Texto: (919) 218-6270

Text: Pregnant to (919) 971-4396