7 Ways for Birth Mothers to Celebrate National Adoption Month
National Adoption Month, which takes place during the month of November, is an important time to celebrate birth mothers, adoptees, adoptive parents and adoption as a whole. If you are a birth mother considering adoption for your child, the month of November provides you with the amazing opportunity of learning all things adoption. In doing so, you can ease your stress, worries and anxieties of what the adoption process entails and what to expect as you begin your own adoption journey.
At Adoption Choices of Missouri, we support and care for birth mothers. We want you to know that you are valued and respected, and that we celebrate you. Choosing to place your child for adoption is not an easy decision, but it is part of what makes National Adoption Month so special. Without you wanting what’s best for your child, adoption wouldn’t exist. For this reason, we want to take a moment and provide you with seven ways that you, as a birth mother, can celebrate National Adoption Month.
Ways for Birth Mothers to Celebrate National Adoption Month
1. One-on-One Time with Your Child
Depending on your adoption plan, you may want to spend one-on-one time with your child during this month. This could include doing creative activities like painting together or visiting a fun center. Spending quality time with your child will help strengthen the bond between you both.
2. Attending an Adoption-related Event
As a birth mother, you may want to celebrate National Adoption Month by going on a special birth mother retreat with your child and his or her adoptive family, or attend an adoption-themed event with them. This type of celebration gives you a chance to establish a closer relationship with your child and their family while learning more about adoption and having fun.
3. Private Birth Mother Reflection
National Adoption Month may be a bittersweet month for you to celebrate. You may feel overwhelmed by so many emotions and just want to celebrate alone for a day. This is perfectly natural and okay for you to do. You can look through photos, or make a book filled with advice for your child as they grow up. You could also go for a walk, write in your private journey, or do something else that helps you reflect and process what you’re feeling.
4. Create a Memory Album
Another way you can celebrate National Adoption Month is by creating a photo/memory album. Using the images you have before and after your child’s birth, you can organize it so that it tells your child’s adoption story. When they are older, or start asking questions about where they came from, you can present this memory album to them or present it as a gift. This is also a great way to store your child’s important life moments and milestones.
5. Write a Thank you Note to Your Child’s Adoptive Parents
Whether you are in the process of placing your child, or you have placed your child already, you can write a note to your child’s adoptive parents expressing your gratitude. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or long, but a handwritten note can be a treasured gift, especially in this age of technology. Writing a thank you note to your child’s adoptive parents is a great way to show them how much you care and appreciate them raising your child.
6. Share Your Adoption Story
Throughout the month of November, you may notice many adoptees, birth mothers and adoptive parents sharing their experiences about adoption via online platforms, such as Facebook. There also may be designated sharers at adoption-related events. If you feel comfortable doing so, you could celebrate National Adoption Month by doing something similar. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to connect with other birth mothers and help them with their adoption journeys. To provide support, comfort and guidance. To give them more insight into adoption, especially if they are wanting to place their baby for adoption. National Adoption Month is an excellent time to do that.
7. Read an Adoption-themed Book
Reading an adoption-themed book is another great way to help you learn about adoption and the benefits it can have on your life — and that of your child’s. There are many good resources available — nonfiction and fiction — that can give you a glimpse of the expectations, challenges and overall impact the adoption journey can have. Be sure to check out your library or local bookstore to see what you can find. Ask the librarian or sales clerk to help you search if you aren’t able to locate anything right away.
Birth Mother Advice for National Adoption Month
There are many ways for birth mothers to celebrate National Adoption Month. The options above are non-exhaustive, yet we hope that they provide you with a good starting point.
As a birth mother, you are instrumental to the adoption journey. If you are considering adoption for your child, National Adoption Month is a great time to learn about the adoption process and adoption as a whole. Know that you can always reach out to our adoption agency in Missouri if you have questions or concerns about what the adoption process looks like and what you can expect when you begin your own adoption journey. We want to make sure that you have all the information you need to know, so that you have the most positive experience possible. We are so grateful for your loving and courageous choice and want to celebrate you and give back in any way we can.
Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond, please call us or text us to learn more! Call us toll free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri call or text us at 1-816-527-9800
Meet the Author: Samara Wiley is a published author of poetry, essays, and an environmental children’s storybook called, Waiting for the Water Fairy. She graduated from Benedictine University in 2018 with a double Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and French.She has been published in three small poetry anthologies one was called Talented.
Her other writing accomplishments include: winning a high school poetry competition and $2500 for her high school, having two out of her five novels be considered for publication and writing movie critic reviews for her university’s newsletter.
Although she has Cerebral Palsy and has had a turbulent childhood, Samara puts these small specs of herself into her writing to personally connect with her audience. She prides herself on pushing the boundaries in her writing and in her personal life with everything she does. Samara writes with her heart and a voice of compassion, and loves to pull from her top passions in life.
She currently lives in Yorkville, Illinois with her mom and two sisters.
