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One Person's Adoption Story
I was eight months pregnant when I called the Shady Grove Pregnancy Center. I wanted the name and phone number of a pro-life attorney who could handle the legal proceedings of my upcoming adoption.
The counselor who answered the phone was able to provide me with several referrals. She then asked me if I was receiving any counseling on adoption. When she found out that I was not, she encouraged me to do so.
As a single woman in a crisis pregnancy, I found the entire situation to be completely overwhelming. I knew why I was placing my child for adoption. Hadn't I gone over the reasons enough with my boyfriend, my parents and myself? I didn't want to get married just because I was pregnant. I didn't want my child shipped back and forth between two parents with different values and lifestyles. I wanted my child to grow up in a loving, two-parent home where the wife stayed at home and the couple offered my child the emotional and financial stability that I could not. I really did not feel as though I had the time or energy to discuss this highly sensitive matter with anyone else, especially a stranger.
However, the counselor was persistent. She began to point out how very difficult the upcoming month was going to be and how I needed to educate and prepare myself. She encouraged me to at least come into the Center and talk with someone. I decided that it was worth a try and made an appointment.
Going to the Center was one of the best decisions I made. I was able to meet with a counselor four times before I delivered. We went over a lot of information regarding the pros and cons of parenting and adoption. We discussed my feelings on adoption, my child, my estranged boyfriend and my future. We viewed a video on adoption, reviewed books and articles on the level of openness, the grieving process, and what to expect at the hospital.
In January, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. I fell instantly in love with him. No words can describe the intensity of emotions I had for him. I called my counselor from the hospital room two days later and cried hysterically because I was scared and confused. My original adoption plan was falling through. What was I to do? She calmed me down and talked me through my fears and confusion. She suggested the name of several local adoption agencies and helped me get in touch with them.
When I was discharged from the hospital, I took my son home with me. I did not want him to be left with strangers while I began the daunting task of finding another adoptive family. Our week together only reaffirmed the fact that I was not prepared to be a single mother. I wanted my child to have more than I could offer and give.
With the help of a local adoption agency, I was able to interview several couples. In a short amount of time, I found the perfect couple that I felt completely comfortable with adopting my son. They represented everything I had dreamed of for my son.
Although I now feel many moments of deep sadness over the absence of my son, I am comforted by the fact that I gave him a wonderful gift by providing him with a happy and prosperous future. Even in my darkest hours of grief, I will always continue to remember the moment I introduced my son to his new parents. I find a great peace in the fact that not only was I able to serve as an instrument in creating such a precious life, but I helped to transform a couple into a beautiful family.