In my last post,I wrote about taking your time making the decision of whether you will parent your child or place your child for adoption. So, while you are taking your time making this decision, what should you be doing?

First of all, take care of yourself. Sometimes when you are stressed, taking care of yourself becomes lower on the “things to do” list. Try to make taking care of yourself a priority. Go... more

The decision of whether or not you should make an adoption plan for your unborn baby is not one that should be rushed into. It is a decision that takes a lot of thought, contemplation, and soul searching.

I think often times expectant mothers may feel rushed into making a decision. The impending due date is like an alarm clock sounding off and you may feel like you have to have a decision made, a family chosen, and everything ready before that due date comes. You know, I totally get that. I felt the same exact way during my pregnancy. I’m a planner by nature, so... more

Have you ever heard the phrase “green with envy?” I’m feeling a little envious of someone at the moment. Her situation is so similar to mine. She’s parenting a child with special needs (not as involved as my son though) and she is pregnant. Her first child’s father passed away and her unborn baby’s father does not want to be involved so she has no father involvement just as I did.

Originally she was considering making an adoption plan. She thought it would be the most responsible thing to do in this situation because her parents are already helping with her first... more

A comment by Jenna in my last post regarding the Infant Care Center in Orange County California got me to thinking that I should probably be adding a disclaimer to these posts that are about different programs in which I have read news articles about. I probably should have done this from beginning, so just call me backwards!

First of all, for the record, let me state that I am not endorsing any of these programs nor... more

There is so much advice I’d like to give to an expectant mother considering adoption. There is so much too learn and educate yourself about in what feels like a very, very short period of time.

Below is my personal top six list of things I think any expecting mother considering adoption should know. Some people may find this post negative or “anti adoption” but that it is my not intent. My intent is to inform you, the expectant mother considering adoption, with things I did not know at the time of placement.

1. Know that open adoption... more

If you are in an unplanned pregnancy and are still involved with your baby’s father, you may be considering marriage. Marrying for the right reasons is beautiful, but marrying for the wrong reasons is not.

Marriage may seem like a perfect answer. You’d have someone there to assist you in parenting responsibilities, both financial as well as emotional. You’d have help with daily parenting duties. You may feel more accepted by friends, family, and society if you get married. Your family may even be pushing you towards marriage or pushing your baby’s father... more

Dear Expectant Mother,

You are in the midst of an unplanned pregnancy. You are probably feeling many different emotions; scared, confused, overwhelmed, and indecisive, just to name a few. Yet, you are probably in awe and somewhat connected to the little life growing inside of you.

You may or may not have support from the father of your baby, your friends and your family. Regardless of the amount of support you have, you are facing many challenges in the road ahead.

You have the option to parent. You wonder if you will be a good mother. You... more

As a professional communicator, I’m constantly undergoing training in what we call “crisis communications” – in other words, how to be ready for when the unexpected can and does happen. Because I see this word all the time – CRISIS! – I got to thinking about how I could apply what I know from P.R. to another topic I know well: so-called “crisis” pregnancies.

Here’s a list of a few generally accepted practices for dealing with a media crisis. Let’s take a look, and then try to adapt them to an unplanned pregnancy.

• Bring... more

Recently, Mary Anne Cohen, a birthmother and author of a terrific adoption newsletter called Origins, had some things to say about how it’s not possible to predict how adoption will work out for our kids. The best we can do is try to figure out what’s best at the time, at the point of pregnancy—and that might not turn out to be the right answer over the long term.

Here’s what Mary Anne says:

“One of the worst things for me was the utter pointlessness of my pain as far as my son's life went. I WISH he had gotten the better life... more

If you are making an adoption plan, you may be planning on letting your doctor or health care provider know that you are making an adoption plan. This is a total personal choice and not one that you have to share with them. However, I know that some young women, such as me, who may feel more comfortable sharing your adoption plan with your doctor especially if you are planning to allow the adoptive parents to be a part of any of the hospital experience.

I'm sure you have read the discussions before as to why it may be better not to have prospective adoptive... more