After Adoption

Yeah! Your child is finally here....now what? Make sure you have a good support system...your parents, siblings, support group, friends, etc. Trying to adopt, waiting, waiting, waiting....very stressful. Now your baby is here, maybe all your dreams, hopes and anticipations are met, and maybe they aren't. The reality of parenting can be a bit over-whelming when it finally is here. Then there's usually the 6 month waiting period before finalization, the court stuff, naturalization for foreign children, etc.

For You:

Enjoy your child!

Take time for yourself!

Keep your marriage strong-take time for just the two of you. The best thing you can do for your children is to stay deeply in love with your spouse.

For Your Child:

Talk about adoption.  Many children's favorite stories are about how they joined your family.  Read books to your children about adoption.  Talk about his/her birthmother/father.  Most adopted children need the assurance that they were loved before and placed into a home that could provide things that the birthparent was unprepared to give at the time the child was born.

Open Adoption Agreements:

If you have the privilege of an open or semi-open adoption, PLEASE keep your end of the agreement.  Many times the birthparents pull back for a while.  Don't stop on your end.  Often, as time passes, the birthparents want more contact and the adoptive parents want less.  Please do not let yourself fall into that.  Generally speaking, the birthparents need that contact to enable them to move on with their lives.  Just because they want contact, doesn't mean they aren't moving on.  If you put yourself in their shoes, it's often easy to understand why knowing the child is doing well is so important to the birthparents.

More To Come!!!

Support

adoption support

Post-Adoptive Stress Syndrome

adoptive families

miracle of adoption

family transitions