Moving On After Birth and Adoption Finalization
By Kaitlyn Chrisemer
Adoption can be a difficult and emotional process. Many people get caught up in making their adoption plans and focus on the decisions that take place before birth. However, there are important plans to make after your private Colorado adoption. Although the adoption process can be overwhelming and take up your time during pregnancy, there are also important post-birth plans. A lot of the most difficult parts of adoption still linger or even intensify after the adoption is finalized. Getting back to “normal” life can be a real struggle for birth mothers. Adoption Choices of Colorado wants to help inform you about how you can make this transition easier for yourself.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
How to Get Back to Normal Life
It can be strange to think about your life after adoption finalization. Some birth mothers will have a more difficult time than others getting back to their so-called normal life. It’s important to recognize that pregnancy and placing a baby for adoption are large life changes. Sometimes birth mothers want to just go back to the way their life was before, as if nothing had happened. This can be emotionally harmful and rarely works out well. Here are some tips on moving on with your life after your private adoption in Colorado is finalized.
Acknowledge and Share Your Feelings
First and foremost, it’s incredibly important to acknowledge your feelings. Neglecting and bottling up your feelings is not healthy, especially after such a potentially traumatic experience. You may be dealing with a lot of strong negative emotions after your CO adoption is finalized. This is normal, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed of anything you may be feeling.
Another important part of taking care of your mental health is sharing your feelings. Whether this is with a loved one, one of our counselors from our adoption agency, or through journaling, it’s important. Remember that we are here for you even after your adoption is finalized. If you need help, don’t be afraid to reach out. You may not feel comfortable sharing these feelings with your loved ones. That’s okay. If you are comfortable talking to a counselor, reach out to us, and we can connect you with someone. Another alternative is to journal your feelings. Even just writing down what you feel can help relieve you of these negative emotions. Journaling can also help you work through what you’re feeling and better understand your emotions.
Explaining the Adoption Process to Loved Ones
One process that can be extremely difficult and continue to bring up negative feelings is explaining the process to others. Hopefully, most of your loved ones are already aware of your plans, but there are always some who aren’t. Extended family may not know the details of your unplanned pregnancy plan. Some may be confused when they see you after the pregnancy because you don’t have a child with you. They may be disoriented if they only heard of your pregnancy and not your adoption plan.
It can be difficult to share this personal decision with a lot of people. However, this process and questioning will likely continue until all your loved ones know. It may be easier to send a letter or email explaining your decision to place your baby for adoption. Although this may sound impersonal, if this sounds like the best option for you, don’t feel bad. You need to do what is best for you.
Getting Back to School, Work, or Hobbies
It can also be difficult to get back to school, work, or your hobbies from pre-pregnancy. There may be people in these areas of your life asking about your pregnancy and the baby. Again, do what is best for you in these situations. Although it may be difficult to get yourself to go out and about, it will be good for you.
During your pregnancy, you may want to come up with a post-pregnancy plan as well as an adoption plan. If you compile a list of things you want to do after birth, you can keep busy. This will help you adjust and move forward with your life. It may be difficult to get back to school, work or hobbies, but this will help you adjust.
Adjusting to Life After Adoption
If you need help adjusting to life after your adoption is finalized, Adoption Choices of Colorado can help. Don’t be afraid to reach out. We are here for you throughout your entire journey, even after finalization. We can help you at any point in your adoption journey anywhere in Colorado.
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.