When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t 100% about parenting. I would definitely struggle but I know I could do it. Some family members would probably even help for a little but I’m getting closer to my due date and I’ve been thinking a lot about the life I would want for my son. I feel like my heart and my mind are battling but I really do think adoption might be the best decision but I’m so close to my due date, I don’t know if there is time for adoption.
***Update***
Now my due date is only a week away but I wanted to share an update. About a week ago I knew adoption was something I should look into but I was so close to my due date I wasn’t sure if it was even possible. I heard an ad on the radio for an adoption agency and I felt like it was the sign I needed to take the next step. On my lunch break that day, I looked them up online and they had SO much information on their website. I read about how the adoption process would work, my rights as the mother, that I had time to change my mind if I wanted and so much about open adoption.
I had heard a little about open adoption on Tik Tok and knew that I if I decided on adoption I wanted updates and to see my son as he grew up.
The website listed common questions from pregnant people and someone asked if they could work with them even if they were really close to their due date. The agency said they could and they even work with people who call them right from the hospital. I was still really nervous to make the first call.
That night I looked up more about the agency to see what people who worked with them said and I found this video. Actually, I found a lot of videos of people who worked with the agency talking about their experiences but this one was helpful because I was worried about feeling pressured. I actually watched a lot of the videos and I started feeling much more comfortable. Then I found a number that I could text on their website and I just did it!
***Update two***
I feel like that was a long time ago but it was really only last week. Since then, one of their counselors came and met me to talk about all my options not just adoption to make sure I knew all the choices I had. We also talked more about open adoption and I knew that’s what I wanted. Everyone I spoke to and met with was really nice and just like the girl in the video said, there was no pressure. I felt supported and when I had one person to work with she really got to know me better and supported me in whatever I wanted to do.
She even helped me find a family. They had a whole binder of families I could look at. She started asking me a lot about what I wanted and helped me narrow it down. She listened to
what was important to me. I knew I wanted updates and to see my son at least twice a year and be in touch with the family more often. I also wanted a big family, I grew up with aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents around all the time and I wanted that for my son too.
The entire time throughout the process, my counselor let me know that I still didn’t have to feel any pressure to go through with adoption. She explained the time frame I could change my mind even after I gave birth to him and that she would help find me resources if I decided to parent but I knew adoption was best for me and my son.
Conclusion
So to anyone out there who is pregnant and is considering adoption but thinks it’s too late in your pregnancy to call an agency, it’s not. I was 2 weeks away from my due date and I already have a meeting scheduled to meet with the family I chose, that is if my son doesn’t come sooner, then I’ll meet them at the hospital. Find an agency that makes you feel heard. One that doesn’t pressure in any way. It’s your decision. Family, friends and co-workers will all have their opinions but you need to do what you decide is best for you and your baby.
