5 Helpful Tips for Birth Mothers Experiencing an Unexpected Pregnancy During Quarantine
Navigating an unexpected or unplanned pregnancy is no mean feat during ordinary times. However, in the middle of a global pandemic, a newly pregnant birth mom needs a strong support system more than anything. COVID-19 has left so many unemployed, and the question of when things will return to normal has not yet been answered.
Adoption Choices of Colorado is ready and willing to be that ally and support system you need. We are happy to speak with you about your consideration of adoption and help explain what that would look like.
Social Distancing
First and foremost, please social distance. In order to carry your baby to term and ensure a safe and stable pregnancy, you have to watch out for your own health. Some common social distancing practices are maintaining a six foot distance from others, staying home whenever possible and wearing a mask when interacting with people. The impacts of COVID-19 on pregnant women can be much more intensive and long-term. Please restrict your interactions with others to what is absolutely necessary. These can include trips to the grocery store or doctors appointments. If something doesn’t fall into that level of importance, please stay home and rest. The health of your baby does not need to be compromised because of the uncertain health of the masses.
In regards to your doctors appointments or other trips that may be deemed necessary, Adoption Choices of Colorado is more than happy to escort you to any appointments, and to help you tour any hospital facilities. This can all be done while practicing social distancing, taking that burden off of you and allowing you to focus more on your prenatal care. It’s important to have regular prenatal care, because that can help rule out any irregularities in the pregnancy. A pregnancy during quarantine requires careful evaluation of your own health, because the health of so many is called into question.
Financial Assistance is Available
Routine checkups and other medicare required for a pregnant woman can be extremely costly. In these questionable times, those bills can be tricky to navigate. However, any medical expenses that are not covered by the state of Colorado will be taken care of by the adoptive family through Adoption Choices. We provide financial assistance when you choose adoption.
We are also happy to help you apply for any Medicaid or food stamps that may be necessary, and we are more than willing to take you to pick up any necessary prescriptions. There is no shame in doing whatever you can to ensure a healthy future for your baby.
Stay at Home
The easiest way to have a healthy pregnancy during quarantine is to stay at home. However, we want to make sure that home is a safe place to be. Poor housing conditions can directly impact poor health conditions and we don’t want that to happen to any birth mother, let alone the ones that are working with us. We understand that many jobs and livelihoods have been altered because of COVID-19. We are eager to help you apply for affordable housing should the situation require it. We are also more than happy to pay for rent during the period of your pregnancy, and in the aftermath of delivery.
Any fears that you have about not being able to properly care for the child during your pregnancy can be laid to rest because we are willing and capable of finding you a safe and stable place to live.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
One of the most difficult things about quarantine, pregnant or not, is that it is very isolating. Losing the day-to-day human interaction that is typical for most people can be extremely tough on your mental state. Left unchecked, you could lose yourself to a sea of worries and anxiety. Please remember to keep in contact with your loved ones during this quarantine period. Talk to friends and families on the phone, and tell them how you’re feeling, and what you’re feeling. Arrange times to hang out if possible, at a safe social distance. You could also try writing down what you’re feeling in a journal, both about this pregnancy and the quarantine period.
One of the keys to a healthy pregnancy is relieving stress, and writing down the thoughts that you are having is known to provide some sort of relief. Journaling regularly can also serve to reduce the amount of stress that your body experiences in the future.
Find a Support Group
Another therapeutic act that we are huge advocates for is support groups. Adoption Choices of Colorado provides a support group for birth moms in all stages of the process. There is no timetable to the grief that you may experience after placing a child for adoption, and it can feel extremely isolating to be making all of these big decisions during a pandemic. That is why it is so important to meet the women who have been through what you are enduring. Birth mothers have an experience that is specific to them and not many others can empathize with. This counseling is free of charge, and you can participate in a group or have a private session. There is also counseling available to the birth father if he is interested as well.
However, in the wake of COVID-19 grouping safely has become more challenging. Luckily, there are social media alternatives set up in order to connect with other birth moms, and hear stories that may be valuable to you. Lifetime Healing, a close ally and partnering organization of ours, has a whole video library exploring the emotion of the adoption journey.
Your feelings throughout this journey are valid, and you are heard. We will never underestimate the difficulty of this journey –, especially during the tumultuous times of quarantine.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Katherine Burns is a journalism student at Loyola University Maryland with plans to pursue a career in the news and magazine industries. With over three years of experience writing for the Greyhound Newspaper at Loyola, Katherine specializes in Op-eds. However, she has recently branched out to cover a variety of topics, including education and sports journalism. She also has ample experience with travel blogging.
Katherine has conducted a variety of interviews in her time at Loyola and has displayed her stories through differing forms of media. In addition to her studies at Loyola, Katherine spent the fall of 2019 studying communications at the American University of Paris.To learn more about Katherine, be sure to check her out on social media.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!