Professional Pregnant Woman Meet Katie. Katie grew up in a loving stable household. She lived with her parents and two younger siblings. As the oldest, she was always the responsible one. No drugs, no underage drinking, just a normal, if somewhat sheltered upbringing. Her parents didn’t have the best education, so they always expected the most out of their children. Katie excelled in high school. She attended a magnet school where she was able to take special courses in business and finance. Katie made the honor roll all four years, and graduated 17th in her class of 126. More importantly, she honed her business acumen in preparation for a successful career. After high school, Katie attended college at the University of Colorado, where she majored in business. Between her classes,…
What will the Adoptive Family or Adoption Agency need to know about me?
Imagine you’re a birth mother placing her child for adoption. You are about to meet the prospective adoptive parents for the first time. You may be nervous, you may be excited. Maybe it’s a combination of both. One thing you are probably thinking of is what will the prospective adoptive parents need to know about me. The same holds true when you are meeting an adoption counselor at an adoption agency for the first time. Your adoption counselor is sure to have plenty of questions for you. In fact, this is part of the screening process for most adoption agencies. It is understandable to wonder what they want to know and how to answer their questions. There is no magic list of things adoptive parents or adoption agencies will want…
7 Reasons to Choose Adoption
Adopting a Newborn Baby Adoption is a perfect way of starting a family! Adoption Choices of Missouri is proud to welcome you to CHOOSE adoption with us! We are often asked WHY a family might choose adoption. 1. You Want to Start a Family. Some circumstances prevent individuals and couples from conceiving a child naturally. There are people who don’t want to start various medical treatments in order to create a family, so their first choice is adoption. 2. You Are an LGBTQ or Single Person. Adoption is also a great option to start a family for LGBTQ couples and individuals who cannot conceive on their own. Adoption also provides many singles the opportunity to start a family and experience the joy of parenthood. 3. You Want to Expand Your Family. Some people…
Birth Mother Myths
As long as birth mother myths exist, Adoption Choices of Missouri will be debunking them, sharing positive adoption stories and sentiments, and spreading information. Together, we can defeat the negative stigma that exists from adoptions of the past. Just the mere mention of the term “birth mother” can can strike fear into the hearts of many a mother or adoptive-mother-to-be, conjuring up images of heartless teenagers who “give up” their babies to strangers. But it’s time to re-evaluate the way we think about birth mothers: 1. They give up their children. Birth mothers give up soda. They give up chocolate. They give up smoking. But the one thing they don’t give up are their babies. They place them with loving families that they pick out themselves often for one simple reason: they want…
After the Adoption – What to Do as Adoptive Parents
After the Adoption - What to Do as Adoptive Parents As adoptive parents, you spend so much time preparing for the adoption you sometimes forget what life will be like after the adoption. Life doesn’t stop after the adoption is finalized. It keeps on going, sometimes at a more hectic pace than before the adoption. You may be wondering what life will be like after the adoption. Here are a few things that you can do after the adoption. 1. Celebrate An adoption is a huge milestone. Make sure to celebrate and welcome your new family member into your home. Celebrate in whatever way feels appropriate for you, whether that is throwing a party or simply staying at home and enjoying time with your new family member. 2. Update Records…
How to talk to your children about coronavirus
How to talk to your children about coronavirus While we try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, many of us have been confined to our homes. Families are finding themselves spending more time together than ever. For many, this is an unexpected opportunity to connect with spouses, children, and siblings. But one question keeps coming up: How should parents (adults) be talking about coronavirus to the children? The tools you should use to talk to children about coronavirus are very similar to how you should talk to them about any other development in their lives. 1. Listen to them It is important to first understand how much your child knows about the pandemic, so ask them open-ended questions and listen carefully. Listen to them fully, with no distractions, but allow…
How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus
How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus, is sweeping the world, with over 600,000 infected so far. The symptoms can be severe, especially for older adults. Coronavirus can even result in death. In fact, over 28,000 have died from the coronavirus. These grim statistics are resulting in social distancing and shelter in place orders worldwide. With this worldwide pandemic, the most common question on peoples' minds is how do they prevent catching the coronavirus. The answer is that there is no surefire way to prevent catching the virus, but that many common sense tips can dramatically reduce your risk of catching coronavirus. Here are four ways to reduce your risk of catching the coronavirus. Practice good personal hygiene One of the most important things you…
How do Children Feel About Being Adopted?
What is it like being adopted and growing up as an adopted child? How does it feel to be adopted? Is it any different from being raised in a traditional family? Is it better or worse? These are just a few of the questions women considering adoption think about in regards to their child being adopted by an adoptive family. If you are pregnant and considering adoption, it’s normal to wonder how being adopted will affect your child. After all, you are making this decision because you love your baby and want the best for him or her. While every person is different, and it’s impossible to predict exactly how your child will feel about his or her adoption, there is good news: research shows that it is not only…
Self-Care During a Quarantine
Making time for self-care is important for your overall health. From watching the news every hour to scrolling social media a little too much, it’s easy to get lost in the noise of what’s going on around us. And you’re not alone in this! We are all full of uncertainty and angst over the spread of coronavirus. From fear of 'what should I do' to the fear of being isolated at home... If you’ve found yourself in an extended state of quarantine, there are some simple steps you can take to protect your mental health, in addition to your physical health. What is a quarantine? A quarantine is a period of time where someone stays at home. It’s the next step in physical distancing to “flatten the curve,” or slow the…