When you think of babies do you think of all the stuff they might need. Cribs, blankets, a car seat; oh my! It’s overwhelming!

If you are considering parenting, you may be overwhelmed at all the baby things you think you might need in order to care for your baby, but don’t let it overwhelm you! A lot of the things on the market today are “luxury” items. Come on, does a baby really need the wipes warmed?

Some birthmothers may have made adoption plans because they worried about financially raising a baby. Finances can improve and there are ways to make do if... more

Sometimes I think I have a sixth sense for knowing when adoption-related story is about to cross my path. It happened the other day in a doctors office, flipping through an issue of Glamour magazine. I turned the page and saw a photo of a young mother and her baby, and thought, “I bet this has something to do with adoption.”

And I was right. The woman pictured was 25-year-old Elizabeth Audley, and the toddler was her daughter, five-year-old Lauren. Elizabeth became pregnant at age 20 while a sophomore at Wellesley. Though it wasn’t an easy choice, Elizabeth... more

Not every expectant mother considering adoption is a first time mother. Many expectant mothers nowadays who consider adoption are already parenting a child or children and know first hand the struggles parenting can bring. This can be one of the reasons prompting them to consider adoption for the baby they are pregnant with.

This was my case. I knew at that time in my life I could not financially and emotionally handle all of Noah’s special needs plus care for a newborn while working to support the three of us.

There will come a time in her pregnancy... more

Now you hear a lot about things that you will need for your child and you really don’t need all the luxuries that many people consider necessary items.

When I had my first son, Noah, I was barely nineteen years old and my pregnancy with him was considered an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. We had the bare minimum of items. Ten years later, he is thriving and doing well and he doesn’t remember how much or what we had when he was a baby.

I bought a crib from the newspaper for around thirty dollars then cleaned it up a little myself. I bought sheets, bumper pads,... more

“Being a mother is a noble status, right? So why does it change when you put ‘unwed' or ‘welfare' in front of it?” ~ Gloria Steinem

In this post we will explore some resources and support sites that will help you with some of the issues mentioned in the previous posts. I haven’t personally used many of the resources and support sites listed below so I can not personally attest to them. However, they do look like they provide helpful and useful information. I am assuming that some people in unplanned pregnancies will... more

Here’s a very funny article from Salon.com, “Mommie Fearest,” ”about the phenomenon of impending motherhood. (You may need to watch a short ad in order to view the article for free.) The author, Salon’s trash TV critic Heather Havrilesky, is just four weeks away from delivery, and she’s obviously had it up to here with the doomsday-focused naysayers who... more

If you had asked me a few years back, my opinions on teen pregnancy, I would have probably been a little negative thinking that a teen parent could not possibly have the patience and financial abilities to properly provide and care for a newborn. I probably would have thought adoption might be a better option for that child. However, my opinions have been greatly changed by a little man named Landon.

Landon was born to my nephew, T, and his girlfriend, LA. My nephew is seventeen and his girlfriend is sixteen. He is a senior in high school... more

In continuing with the teen pregnancy series, today I’d like to share the story of a teen mom.

Meet Tabitha Tabitha became pregnant for the first time at 16 years old. She married her high school sweetheart while she was pregnant. She gave birth to her son two days after her 17th birthday in 1997. She freely shares the triumphs and tribulations of being a teen mom with us.

Did you consider adoption? For about 1 hour on a very bad day. Neither of us could find jobs and money was scarce.... more

"I never wanted to be a mom before," I thought at the time. "I don’t think I have a maternal bone in my body." That must mean I ought to choose adoption—right?

What I’ve learned since is that “maternal instincts” don’t always make their appearance right away. Even women who’ve planned their pregnancies sometimes report feeling a little disconnected from the experience while pregnant, and must take some time to process and come to terms with the gigantic psychological and practical changes that becoming a Mom entails.

It’s difficult. We’re all taught that we... more