Birth Mother Support After an Adoption Placement in Colorado
By Naomi Ruiz
Birth mothers that went through the adoption process in Colorado need to have some sort of support to heal from the aftermath. As difficult as it may be to find support, it may seem like there are not too many places to go. However, there are different ways to develop a support system — internally or externally.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Finding Support After the Adoption Process
At Adoption Choices of Colorado and even other private adoption agencies in Colorado, we make sure that your mental health is prioritized. We work with birth mothers after the adoption plan is already taken care of.
Adoption Choices of Colorado offers a post-placement support group for birth mothers, not just for those that work with us but for any birth mother that has been with other adoption agencies. We offer a monthly support group on the second Monday of every month, and we provide food and childcare.
Other post-adoption services recommended for birth mothers include preventive, supportive, and therapeutic services. Educational and informational services can assist birth mothers and their families in understanding their child and family situation. They can also learn the most effective parenting strategies, especially what works best for them.
Along with support groups like ours, there are also information and referral services, respite care, and advocacy to help normalize your view of your current situation. It can also relieve ongoing stress, strengthen your coping abilities, and assist you in obtaining needed resources for your family.
Adoption Counceling Can Help
Therapeutic services can help you address specific difficulties, including specialized assessment services, crisis intervention, and therapeutic interventions. There are even residential treatment services that also include adoptive families in treatment efforts.
There are talking points that you can work on for therapeutic services. You can talk about the impact of trauma you might have had after giving your baby to the adoptive family, as you might feel a sense of grief.
Remember that you placed your baby for adoption to give them the best life possible. Choosing adoption does not mean giving up; it means you have to make a sacrifice as it is what is best for you and your baby.
More Advice and Information to Consider
While it is common to feel like you might have given up, it is good to remind yourself why you chose adoption in the first place. This can also be a form of verbal self-care as a way to work on self-affirmation.
You can start your own support group for you and other birth mothers, as it can give you something healthy to put your energy and focus into. By starting your own support group, you will have the ability to be creative, utilize your skills, and begin finding other birth mothers who seek healing.
If you do decide to start your own support group, advertise it on Facebook, in the local newspaper, and reach out to your adoption professional. You can also contact local churches and hospitals to let people know about your support group and have them get the word out to other people.
Adoption is an evolving and ongoing experience for all birth mothers, no matter how long you are after the placement of your baby. You deserve resources that support you no matter how you have experienced adoption.
There are potential challenges you might be facing related to adoption:
- Openness in adoption with the adoptive family.
- Trust and attachment to your baby.
- Identity and the various life stages of adoption.
- Family dynamics and adoption adjustment.
- Trauma, abuse, and neglect.
- Challenging behavioral patterns you may face.
One of the biggest challenges of healing after adoption placement is birth mother grief, as it can cause a big shift in your mental health. We want to assure you that you are the reason your baby will get to grow up and have the best life possible with their adoptive family.
Additionally, Adoption Choices of Colorado also offers counseling services before and after your baby’s adoption placement. Even if you are not with us, we take any birth mothers who have been with other adoption agencies in Aurora.
We at Adoption Choices of Colorado Offer Adoption Support
We want to make sure we offer you the best support possible regardless of where you are in your post-adoption journey. Because your mental health is important, and you deserve to live the best life possible with a lot of support.
Giving your baby up for adoption is not easy. 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.
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!