“Seeing him in their arms and how happy they were actually helped me. I could tell from the moment that he was born that they loved him with all their hearts.”
I found out that I was pregnant when I was 37. I was already parenting a 16, 10 and 6 year old on my own. We were struggling as it was, and I didn’t feel like I could parent another child on my own. The birth father was an addict and I knew that he would not help. I wanted this child to have more than what I could give him right now.
I found my adoptive parents through a mutual friend. From the first time I met them, it felt like we were all family. They treated my daughters and I like we were extended family members and really wanted to have us in their lives. We spent many months getting to know them better. We met at restaurants, parks and even their home.
The farther along I got in my pregnancy, the harder it got for me emotionally. I knew that adoption was the right choice and that I had found a great family, but it was extremely hard. My kids had a hard time, too, because they were so excited for a baby. I had to keep explaining to them that we would still see their brother, but that he would be living with another family.
When the day came, labor went pretty quickly. The adoptive parents were in the room with me during delivery and were a big help. After he was born, we all cried together because we were happy and sad at the same time. Seeing him in their arms and how happy they were actually helped me. I could tell from the moment that he was born that they loved him with all their hearts. It made me feel better about the situation and that I could do this for both them and him.
Since the adoption happened, we have had visits a few times a year and I get lots of pictures updating me on how he is doing. The adoptive parents and I continue to have a great relationship. Adoption was both one of the hardest and one of the best things that I have ever done.