Practicing Self-Care as a Birth Mother During Your Colorado Private Adoption
By Anna Keller
Are you newly pregnant and ready to start formulating your adoption plan? Placing your baby for adoption is no easy task. But luckily, there are plenty of resources to guide you through the adoption process. One such resource is Adoption Choices of Colorado. Our adoption agency is here to help you with anything you need throughout your adoption journey. This Colorado adoption agency will transform adoption in Colorado from something that feels impossible into something manageable. Our primary goal is to supply you with the tools necessary to provide the best home for your child. CO Adoption doesn’t have to be complicated, especially with an agency like Private Adoption Colorado helping you out. While it may seem like many unknowns, the agency is here to help you navigate the difficult parts confidently.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Start with Practicing Self-Care as a Birth Mother During Your Denver Adoption
Are you unsure how to properly care for your body while pregnant? You may wonder if such a thing is possible while your body is undergoing so many changes. Adoption Choices of Colorado is here to tell you that it is. The following list of self-care tips you can implement into your routine while pregnant is not exhaustive but a starting point. You are welcome to draw inspiration from these and tailor them to meet your own body’s needs. It should also be noted that every pregnancy is different, and it is very important to trust your body and listen to it. Having an unplanned pregnancy may be the last thing you expect, but if you decide to take it in stride, this article is for you.
1. Nutrition and Rest
One self-care tip that every pregnant woman should take heed of is to get a proper amount of nutrition. While it is okay to splurge every now and again, your primary objective should be creating a healthy environment for yourself and your baby. And that requires a balanced diet. A balanced diet consists of protein, fiber, fats, legumes, and iron. Additionally, you may hear from many seemingly credible sources that you are now ‘eating for two.’ This is a myth that should be entirely disregarded. Instead, eat what you feel comfortable eating, and it will be enough to nourish your body and your baby.
Another tip is to remain rested, both mentally and physically. It is important to keep your train of thought positive and disciplined in a way that innately benefits you and your baby. Stress affects a pregnancy. While not all life stressors can be avoided while pregnant, you can eliminate certain factors that contribute to unnecessary stress, which looks different for everyone. Adoption agencies in Colorado like this one can help you formulate a plan to tackle stress in a safe way. Placing your baby up for adoption means taking a giant leap of faith with yourself and your adoptive family. Understandably, there is a lot to be stressed about. Private Adoption Colorado will provide services such as counseling and a matchmaking system for you to find a family.
2. Exercise
Another very important step in any pregnancy, though it may seem daunting, is physical movement, specifically exercise. While it may feel impossible to maintain an active lifestyle during the later stages of pregnancy, it can be done. Even if it’s only a brisk walk, some movement is better than none, and it may result in an easier pregnancy or birth, even postpartum recovery. An important thing to remember is that physical activity will also alleviate your mental stress, which is also good for the baby. In addition, exercise paired with healthy eating is a favorable combination for carrying a baby. As a result, you will sleep better and see your overall mood improve. Finally, regular exercise during pregnancy is also known to ease back pain. Certain exercises are safe, and others are not, so we will review them.
According to the March of Dimes article about exercises during pregnancy, a few examples of unsafe exercises include hot yoga, basketball, downhill skiing, horseback riding, and scuba diving. What these activities have in common is that they all run the risk of injuring the baby. The article states that two and a half hours per week is the minimum physical activity required for a healthy pregnancy. It is not encouraged to bang it all out at once but rather break it up. This way, you do not put too much stress on yourself or the baby. Some examples of good exercises while pregnant include swimming, stationary bikes, and strength training. The gist of the matter is that exercise is fully okay as long as it is not done to an extreme.
The Importance of Practicing Self-Care During Your Adoption Journey
These are just a few of the many self-care tips to help you along your pregnancy journey. Private Adoption Colorado will assist you with each part of your journey, from coping with pregnancy’s mental toll to finding a family. You are in good hands, and you will be successful in finding the right family for your baby.
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!