Post-Placement Adoption Options
By Anna Keller
Are you in the process of placing your baby for adoption? If so, you might be wondering what happens after birth. Adoption can be difficult, from dealing with an unplanned pregnancy to finding the right family. But what about the aftermath? Does it get easier? Adoption is a complicated process, and there is no simple, immediate answer to that question. If you are looking for information on adoption in Colorado, then we are here to help. Adoption agencies such as Adoption Choices of Colorado have a plethora of resources.
Adoption Choices of Colorado is a private Colorado adoption agency. They specialize in helping you not only during but after your pregnancy. With assistance, you will form your own adoption plan. But what about the emotional tolls of the adoption process in Colorado? You may want to look into counseling. This is perfectly normal and does not make you weak to ask for help. Processing emotions is important not only for you but for the health of your baby. That is why one option of counseling post-placement is grief counseling.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Adoption Grief Counseling
You may not know if you will even grieve your baby at all. But if you do, that is also perfectly normal. It’s valid, even. You have just given birth to your child, who you have to give away. It’s normal to feel sad. In fact, your grief may blindside you. You may be expecting to feel relief that you no longer have the responsibility of bearing a child. But instead, you are battered with sorrow. So how do you deal with this? How do you cope? The number one thing to remember is that you should not feel obligated to go it alone. Grief counselors exist for this very reason. You can lean on others for support during this emotional time.
You have just given birth to a baby; it is normal to grieve your loss. They were a part of you for nine months, after all. Expecting to bounce back immediately after birth is a fallacy. Placing that expectation on birth mothers is harmful to all women for lots of reasons. First, it propagates the idea that women are invincible and immune to any harmful effects of birth. This includes both the physical and the emotional effects. Naming women as these immovable fortresses of steel bolsters the illusion that birth is easy. It’s better to face reality for what it is. Reconciling with the notion that birth is not easy is better than pretending that it is.
Grief counselors will help you process all your feelings about your baby. You may be feeling inadequate for not being able to parent yourself. But if you are not ready to parent, that is not your fault. That is why adoption exists. It is important to remember that by adopting out your baby, you are doing a good thing. Not only are you giving your baby a chance at life, but you also give a couple a chance to be parents.
Birth Mother Post-Placement Adoption Support Groups
Adoption in Colorado, through Adoption Choices of Colorado, also includes support groups. This is another post-placement service offered to birth mothers. Why are support groups important? Why should a birth mother be interested in them? For starters, it can be fruitful to connect with others who have gone through something similar to you. Finding other kindred spirits can be incredibly helpful to the healing process. Talking to a counselor is great, but ultimately, support groups witness a rawer kind of healing. There is something special about connecting with somebody going through an experience that mirrors yours. You will feel less strange and disconnected from the world. You will ground yourself again, finding your place. Furthermore, it can even lead to friendship.
One support group through Adoption Choices of Colorado is Lifetime Healing. What makes Lifetime Healing special? What separates it from other support groups? Not only do women have the space to individually share their stories, but the president composed a curriculum. It isn’t what it sounds like; it is not like school. Rather, it is a manual on post-placement care that women can follow. Its materials include advice on how to care for yourself during the early stages of post-placement.
Financial Assistance and Overall Support for Post-Placement Adoption
Another option for post-placement service is financial assistance. Even after birth, you can still apply for financial assistance. You may still be eligible for things such as loans, grants, and programs. Coverage includes certain necessities such as rent, utilities, medical bills, or even your phone bill. Your eligibility will depend on your current earnings and financial status.
Ultimately, your options for post-placement care are vast. It is important to reiterate that you are not alone. Even if your normal support system does not help, that does not mean you have nobody. You can find your support group through the connections you make during this process. To say that you will ‘bounce back’ after birth is wrong and harmful to women. Resultantly, it is better to accept the reality that you will remain changed and stronger because of it.
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!