Are you in an unplanned pregnancy and feeling pressure from others in your life? Different people in your life may be pressuring you to choose different options and with all of these people pressuring you at the same time you may feel very overwhelmed!

Perhaps you are a teenager or young adult, living your parents home, your parents may be pressuring you to choose adoption. They may feel that you are not ready to parent yet and that the best option for you and your baby may be adoption. They may not be willing to help you in parenting which... more

My co-blogger, Heather’s recent post about the media’s ignorance in portraying birthparents got me thinking about my own rant. They not only are ignorant about birthparents but about the whole adoption subject as a whole and will use it at any time to make a story "juicier." This subject has been on my mind a lot lately as the subject of adoption keeps coming up in the news more and more.

Have you noticed how the media uses adoption to describe people in... more

I enjoyed the change of format in my post in the open adoption blog yesterday entitled Top 10 Ways to Keep an Open Adoption Running Smoothly and was inspired to do more “lists” so today I give you my top five things you should not say to pregnant women considering adoption.

If you are pregnant and considering adoption, feel free to send this link to people who are supporting you in your pregnancy. After my first... more

There’s no better time than pregnancy to bombard a pregnant woman with well meaning advice? It could be simple things like you should breastfeed or don’t eat such and such while your pregnant. But then as the bigger issues of an unplanned pregnancy come into the play, the well meaning advice becomes more often and of course, more well meaning.

It’s overwhelming and can be very hard at times to deal with all this advice, especially when you know it is well meaning and heartfelt. I mean in general, people want to help each other and be helpful, right?... more

Perhaps you have been away at college or somewhere and this holiday season is the first time you are going to see your family, namely your parents, the news of your unplanned pregnancy.

I know avoiding them probably seems easier, but keep in mind; our families love us and want to support us, even through the bad times. Our parents are the ones who picked us up when we fell down, dried our tears when we got a broken heart, and encouraged us when we needed it most. So during an emotional and stressful time, such as an unplanned pregnancy, it is only natural... more

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect - and I don’t live to be, but before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.” ~ Bob Marley

In the upcoming days some of us may be traveling over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s House. Or perhaps your family gathers at a more modern place in the city.

Where ever your family gathering may be, there is sure to be tons of well meaning advice, lots of opinions,... more

When you tell your family and friends that you are pregnant, you probably are going to be bombarded with well intentioned opinions and advice. You may also deal with some anger, disappointment, and shock from family members.

At times, the opinions and advice of friends and family may become overwhelming. Everyone seems to know what you should do and what is best for you. But, only you know what is best for you and your unborn baby and only you can make this decision. They may or may not be supportive of whatever option you choose whether it be parenting or placing your baby for adoption. At some point, you will have to put your foot down and let friends and family know that you appreciate... more

It happens all the time in life, right? The unwanted, yet well meaning, unsolicited advice from friends, family, co-workers, general strangers in the grocery store, etc… But never does it seem to happen more (at least to me) than during pregnancy! It seems everyone has something to say about your pregnancy, your decision, child raising, even what you should and should not eat for Pete’s sake! Everyone has an opinion and this time, they want to voice it!

It’s overwhelming and can be very hard at times to deal with all this advice, especially... more

When you tell your family and friends that you are pregnant, you probably are going to be bombarded with well intentioned opinions and advice. Everyone seems to know what you should do and what is best for you. But, only you know what is best for you and your unborn baby and only you can make this decision.

At times, the opinions and advice of friends and family may become overwhelming. They may or may not be supportive of whatever option you choose whether it be parenting or placing your baby for adoption. At some point, you will have to put your... more

A lot of times women making adoption plans do not have the support of their child’s father or expectant fathers may be forgotten when it comes to planning and decision making regarding adoption, but they have rights too. In my experiences, I have seen more women make adoption plans that do not have the support of their children's fathers. However, I have seen some really awesome men support their partner as they made decisions together for their child's future.

Involved expectant fathers can share some of the weight of decision making with... more