Writing about spending time with your baby in the hospital earlier got me to thinking of my own hospital experience. This is my favorite photo of Charlie and I from the hospital.

Those few days in the hospital are the days (aside from pregnancy) where I most felt like Charlie’s mother as I was able to mother him. Although, A. was there in the hospital with me most of the time those days are the days I felt most like his mother. I fed him bottles,... more

In the older days of adoption, expectant mothers making adoption plans were not given the option to spend time with their baby in the hospital. Often times they did not even get to see their baby. It was not a choice for them, simply the way things were in their era.

Nowadays, expectant mothers making adoption plans are given the option of whether or not they spend time with their babies in the hospital and often encouraged to do so. However, there are still those of the school of thought that mothers making adoption plans should not spend time with... more

I’ve written about my hospital experience before and aside from the lady from the birth certificate office and a few dirty glances from nurses, compared to the horror stories I have heard from other birthmothers, I had a pretty positive hospital experience.

I do get asked by women considering adoption if there was anything about my hospital experience I would change, so I thought today I would share those things with you. They say hind sight is twenty/twenty and at the time I didn’t realize these were issues, but looking back five years later, I wish I had done things... more

You’ve written a birth plan, asked your support person to be on call, packed a hospital bag, followed all your doctors orders; things just seem to be going perfectly, so why shouldn’t the rest of your pregnancy and the labor and delivery?

Unfortunately, no amount of planning can prepare you for the unexpected. While pregnancies and giving birth occurs daily, no two pregnancies are the same. No matter how routine or normal your pregnancy may appear to be, sometimes the unexpected may happen, throwing a kink into all you have so meticulously planned.... more

As you begin to think about your upcoming labor and delivery, you should begin to think about writing a birth plan. I’m not talking about an adoption involved birth plan here, but a regular birth plan any expectant mother would use whether she is considering adoption for her baby or not.

You can begin writing a birth plan at any point in your pregnancy. It’s a good idea to have your birth plan completed at least by your 34th week of pregnancy. Your birth plan is basically just an outline of your wishes and desires for your labor and delivery and... more

As your due date draws near, you undoubtedly will begin to think about your upcoming labor and delivery. Have you chosen a support person yet?

Having a support person in the labor and delivery room is a great idea. He or she can focus on you and your needs. He or she is there to provide emotional and physical support during your labor and delivery process. You should choose someone you trust and someone you feel comfortable bearing it all with.

Some expectant moms considering adoption may choose the prospective adoptive mother as a support person.... more

Let's get practical for a moment. What are the things you need to know in preparation for the day you come home from the hospital without your child? I’ve listed a few here…perhaps other birthparents will think of more.

1. Make sure you have someone to pick you up and take you home from the hospital. In my case, none of us had thought of that, and when the day came, I was forced to call around to find a ride home. No one was available, and it was awful. Let me tell you, when you have just separated from your child, you don’t need this... more

Somewhere in the third trimester of your pregnancy you probably should go ahead and think about packing a bag with the items you will need to have ready so that when you do actually go into labor, you are prepared and do not have to fumble around packing your belongings. It’s also a good idea because you are able to choose the personal items that will make you feel more comfortable, not have someone else do this for you which could happen if you do not have a bag packed and have to head to the hospital rather quickly.

But what should you take... more

In a previous post, I talked about a Hospital Action Plan, which is a plan that expectant mothers making adoption plans can use to dictate how they wish for their hospital experience to turn out regarding things such as contact with their baby, if they want the adoptive parents to visit them in the hospital, etc.

But today I want to talk about a different kind of plan – a birth plan………

Childbirth... more

So you have decided to make an adoption plan and are moving forward with it. As your belly grows bigger, your due date grows closer. The upcoming hospital experience is going to be here soon and as a potential birthmother it is something you need to think about it.

A few things to think about prior to going to the hospital:

Who do I want to be there with me while in labor? You may feel obligated to have the prospective adoptive parents in the labor and delivery room. This choice is totally up to you. It is your labor and delivery... more