The Top 4 Self-Care Tips for Birth Mothers Considering Adoption During the Month of May

In May, there can be a lot of hype and pressure around Mother’s Day to make everything perfect. More often than not, it ends up being a very emotional and stressful day for many families. But it can be especially devastating to a birth mother who has recently placed her baby for adoption or to a birth mother whose due date is still looming.

But the good news is that you actually have your very own special day dedicated just for you! While you won’t see it advertised as heavily and you won’t see as many cards for it as Mother’s Day, the day before Mother’s Day is actually Birth Mother’s Day. If you have chosen an open adoption, then you will be glad to hear that most adoptive families make it a point for the child to spend time with their birth mother on Birth Mother’s Day.

At Adoption Choices of Missouri, we understand that this may still be a very difficult time for you as a birth mother. Despite your adoptive family’s best efforts to include you, you will probably still find yourself reflecting on your loss of parenthood. That is why we have put together this guide to self-care tips for Missouri birth mothers navigating adoption during the month of May. Treat yourself to some of the well-deserved R&R and TLC you earned.

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

The Top 4 Self-Care Tips for Missouri Birth Mothers to Relax from Mother’s Day Stress During the Month of May

1. Take care of your body as a birth mother. You’ve heard it before, and I’m here to say it again: Hydrate! Eat healthily! Did you know that natural foods like bananas can improve your mental health by boosting serotonin? Treat yourself to a mani-pedi while you can’t quite reach those toes! But self-care isn’t just all fun spa days (although you should definitely be pampering yourself while you’re at it.) Sometimes self-care means doing the things you don’t want to do for the sake of your health and the health of your baby, like adding some extra light exercising to your routine. Not only will adding in small things like going for an extra walk help you to lose some of that unwanted pregnancy weight, but studies show that exercise also has many positive mental health benefits.
2. Get outside and enjoy that beautiful May weather! Now is your chance to enjoy some nature before summer comes along and brings its sweltering heat. The sunshine provides plenty of Vitamin D, which works wonders for both your physical and mental health and being in nature surrounded by green spaces is directly related to positive mental health. Studies show that people who spend at least two hours a week in nature tend to be happier and report higher levels of health and well-being than people who did not spend as much time in the great outdoors.
3. Reach out to your birth mother support networks. With vaccines rolling out, the weather warming up, and COVID-19 rates lowering while restrictions begin laxing, now is a great time to turn to your own family for some support and quality time. But if you don’t get along with your family or feel that you can’t turn to them, there are plenty of other types of support networks out there for birth mothers. You can find help and support in the form of blogs, message boards, discussion groups, or online forums. Attending a birth mother support group — in person or virtually — is also highly recommended. Shared experiences with other birth mothers can really help you feel like you are not alone on your adoption journey while giving you a greater sense of community.
4. Make sure that you take care of your mental health as a birth mother. While most of the tips listed here do include a way to give your mood an upwards boost, it’s still important to talk to a licensed professional about any mental or emotional grief or anguish you may be experiencing. Our adoption agency is a full-service, licensed adoption agency. This means that mental health counseling and emotional support for birth mothers is just one of the many services we offer to help you navigate the adoption process and post-placement.

You Do Not Have to Deal with Your Unplanned Pregnancy Alone: Call Our Missouri Adoption Agency Today for Help Placing Your Baby for Adoption

April showers bring May flowers, but you weren’t quite expecting this pilgrim. That is exactly why Adoption Choices of Missouri is here to help you navigate your unplanned pregnancy. Our full-service, licensed adoption agency is here to help you throughout the entire adoption process. Our birth mothers are so important to us that we even offer post-placement services to help you readjust after the adoption process is completed. Please contact our adoption agency today so that we can get started helping you with your unplanned pregnancy and making your adoption plan as soon as possible.

Meet the Author: Kelly Felix is a graduate from the University of New Orleans. She holds a BA in English as well as a BA in Sociology. Her English concentration is in journalism, and her specialties in sociology are gender studies and environmental sociology.

When she isn’t voraciously guzzling coffee or devouring books, Kelly can be found either bent over a canvas working on her art or at her computer playing video games. She has hands-on classroom teaching experience from her time working as a substitute teacher for Kelly Services. Kelly also completed an in-house editorial internship at Pelican Publishing Company, and she finished the goal internship program at Green Light New Orleans. Kelly generally exists in a state of suspended disbelief, but when she’s not there she resides in New Orleans.