Birth Mother Blog

Grief Associated with Adoption in Missouri

While adoption in Missouri offers birth mothers and their babies a second chance, it can also a lot of grief associated with adoption in Missouri. Letting go of the child you’ve been carrying for nine months can be unimaginably heartbreaking, even if you know it’s for the best. However, even though grief may be a challenge throughout your adoption journey, it doesn’t have to define it. You don’t have to say goodbye to your birth child forever. Still, if you are struggling with grief at any point in your adoption journey, Adoption Choices of Missouri is here for you to offer you comfort, compassion, and a path forward.

Experiencing Grief as You Seek Unplanned Pregnancy Help

Grief can occur at any point during your adoption journey. It can even hit you before you’ve even started to consider adoption as an option. When you discover you are pregnant, you feel your life turn upside down. Maybe your college or career plans come to a halt. Perhaps it adds strain to a relationship. In any case, discovering you are pregnant when you aren’t ready to be a parent can cause you to grieve over the life you had. The grief can be so overwhelming that it’s difficult to think about the steps you will take to resolve your predicament. Grief shouldn’t hinder you from getting the unplanned pregnancy help you need. When you reach out to Adoption Choices of Missouri to explore your pregnancy options, our counselors can help you process all your feelings, so you can make a clear-minded decision for you and your baby.

Grieving Before and After Giving Your Baby Up for Adoption

Choosing adoption can provide you with a sense of relief that you will not have to take on the burden of raising a child when you aren’t ready to do so. That doesn’t mean that you don’t deeply care for your baby. The reason why you’re pursuing adoption is because you care for your baby and his or her future. At some point in your pregnancy, you will likely bond with the life growing inside you. It becomes more and more difficult to imagine another family taking your baby home. If you have already placed your baby for adoption, you may imagine what life would be like had you decided to raise the child. Holidays and birthdays might be difficult for you to get through. At Adoption Choices of Missouri, our counselors have vast experience in helping birth mothers get through their grief no matter what their circumstances are.

Coping with Grief as a Birth Mother

No matter where you are in your adoption journey or what you are going through, your local adoption agency is a wonderful resource for you to get the support you need. At Adoption Choices of Missouri, our adoption counselors are available to speak with you 24/7 so that you have full access to help whenever you need it. You never have to worry about being able to afford counseling since all our services are free of charge. Another way to get the support you need as a birth mother is by joining a birth mother support group. It can be comforting to be surrounded by other women who are going through what you’re going through. They can offer their unique insights, which can help you gain a broader perspective of your circumstances. These insights can be so powerful that they can play a key role in helping you come to terms with your situation so you can eventually find peace and closure. It’s also important that you establish a strong support network among the people in your daily life. Your own personal support network might include your partner, family members, neighbors, and friends. Incorporating these people into your support network can deepen the bond you already have with them. It also provides you with a sense of stability during this uncertain time in your life.

What Steps Will You Take to Get through Your Adoption Grieving Process?

Overwhelming feelings of grief can make it seem like everything is outside your control. At times, you might feel helpless in this situation that you did not choose to be in. While you can’t control what has already happened, know that you are always in control over the Missouri adoption process as a birth mother. If you are considering adoption for your baby, reach out to Adoption Choices of Missouri today. The sooner you seek our help, the sooner we can help you take back control over your life. 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: Mary DeStefano is an Ohio native currently living in northern Virginia and works in the litigation consulting industry where she has experience in antitrust, product liability, and mass torts matters. She holds a B.A. in Economics (‘15) and an M.A. in Applied Economics (‘16) from the University of Cincinnati.

Mary is passionate about empowering and supporting those involved in the adoption and surrogacy processes. She finds great meaning in wielding the written word to develop impactful narratives and to help people stay informed. In her spare time, Mary can be found beachcombing and going on other adventures with her dog along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. She also has an affinity for antiquing and loves a good 80’s movie marathon.