Recently the National Council for Adoption hosted a webinar called "What We Want Adoption Professionals to Know" and invited two birth mothers, Jan and Heather, to participate on the panel. We had to listen in to what our friends were saying! The women shared their personal adoption stories and then specifically discussed the role of a birth mother and the reality of a birth mother’s grief.
BraveLove believes in the importance of caring for birth mothers post-placement; often times this is called aftercare. People often say the journey doesn’t stop after placement so sit with her, let her cry, and listen with a sincere heart.
Heather shared how thankful she was to have found BraveLove to share her story and also expressed the value and tremendous comfort it was to connect with other birth moms. Jan found the most comfort and support within birth mother-led support groups like Big Tough Girls, Adoption Share the Love, Birth Mom Buds and Linked Through Love… to name a few.
The women agreed that birth mothers need to talk about what they are feeling through the adoption process without feeling judgment or like someone is trying to “fix the pain.” A birth mother needs someone to help her understand her role in the adoption triad and someone to tell her that she matters.
A big thank you goes out to Heather and Jan for their words of wisdom and continued bravery as they encourage other birth moms. Also thank you, NCFA, for addressing this topic.
Do you want to connect with another birth mother?