Know Important Things About Adoption

“Adoption” was the topic that flashed my mind as I sat down to write something about motherhood; adoption is a life changing experience as any other parenting experience.

Few important things that adoption gives you: 

Most mothers giving birth to biological children would learn all about care, feeding, and basic development of babies in their childbirth class; these classes are not available to you. You could look for similar classes in some hospitals, adoption agencies and adoption support groups.  

Most adoptive mothers do not breastfeed their baby, though some are able to do it to some extent by stimulating their breasts by taking hormones such as prolactin and oxytocin or other natural methods. However you would have to supplement breastfeeding with formula.  If you wish to breastfeed your baby find out all about it on websites like www.lalecheleague.org or reading books like Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby.

Adoption means that you will not be making a traditional announcement of the child’s birth, but would make the announcement about the adoption in a special way by handwritten cards or notes, detailing some of the highlights of their child's adoption like where he was born, his birth name, his family name, the date he was born and the date he was adopted. Ensure you include a photo of the child and his new family members.

A baby shower for an adoptive child may take a few months; since the adoptive process is filled with uncertainty and overseas adoption take a long time for the baby to come home.  

Being an adoptive mother means your baby book would not begin at birth; if you adopt a newborn baby you could possibly have a photo of the child and possibly of his birth mother and father. In case of overseas adoption you would only have a referral photo; however your baby book in all cases would include lots of pictures from the day you adopted her and you brought her home.

Adoption of a baby means the celebration of 2 special days; the birthday and day of adoption. Some families plan a small celebration on the day of adoption also when they look at videos from the day their child was adopted. Some others get together with other families that travelled overseas for the adoption and have larger celebrations.   

As a mother you may be asked various personal and embarrassing and personal questions, which though well intentioned could seem rude or too personal. You could decide to answer those questions in a way that it does not compromise for the child’s, birth mother’s and your privacy. Answer the questions in a matter of fact way without hurting the other person’s feelings.  

Adoption of a child is an enriching experience; it expands your capacity for love and fun, making adoptive parents barely remember the time the child was not there, with all the hard work it took for adoption fading into the distant memory.  

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