On Tuesday, I wrote about a Mother from India being faced with placing both of her daughters for adoption. A sad story full of death and politics from other cultures, my heart felt heavy when I last left the news story. The good news is that help has been pouring in for the mother and her two daughters.

A follow-up article sheds a little more light on the current situation and some hope on the... more

The child within my womb continues to grow. He's still somewhat of an acrobat, flipping this way and that throughout the day. By evening, however, he is usually in the head down position. And every evening, as I get under the covers of my bed, I am transported back in time. You see, every night this child gets the hiccups. Around the same time every night, I feel the rhythmic bump of fetal hiccups. And my heart aches.

I didn't know what they were at first when I was pregnant with the Munchkin. Without reliable internet, I didn't have the ability to Google "short, spasmodic... more

A question was recently posed on the forums:

Should expectant parents be required by law to have counseling before and or after they relinquish their rights?

The results of the poll currently stand at 9 yeses, 5 nos and one other. The discussion that followed provided some interesting commentary on the ins and outs as to why requiring it, by law, may or may not help expectant parents or the system... more

A new first mother posted on the forums about her recurring nightmares. She asked if other birth mothers had experienced the same thing. The overwhelming response? A resounding, "Been there, done that!"

Some brief research on nightmares explains why so many birth parents chimed in with similar stories to share. Wikipedia defines a nightmare as such:

The current usage of the term nightmare refers... more

A recent post on the forums and numerous incoming ideas lead me to this topic: how are mothers and fathers enduring closed adoptions supposed to talk to their children about their placed child, the reasons surrounding the adoption and the possibility of reunion? My usual advice of telling your kids on the day that they're born and making it part of your normal family... more

What would you do to provide for your children? How far would you go? What personal sacrifices would you make in order to secure your child's future? I'm sure those questions, among a myriad of others, are swirling through the mind of a mother in India.

A news story was posted on New Dehli Television's website (NDTV.com) this past weekend gives a glimpse into the mental and emotional horror that accompany such a decision. While light on the emotional side as journalists often... more

I don't often hold much hope for novels written about the birth parent experience. Fiction leaves room for exaggeration and personal opinion and so I try to go into reading with an open mind. My mind was blown by B-Mother by Maureen O'Brien (2007). While, in the end, some loose ends tie up too neatly, I think this is one of the best fictional books I've read on adoption and the birth parent experience.

The main character,... more

While reading about the physical relinquishment of the main character in B-Mother sent me into a fit of tears, a video that is now making its rounds on the internet via links on blogs and the wonderful technology of YouTube pushed me over the emotional cliff. Of course, the blogger that tipped me off did offer up a "Content... more

What? What is this heat? Why is in the 80's again? Where are my 60 degree days? I need to wear sweat pants and sweaters and jeans and, oh, have you seen the fact that stores are putting out hats and scarves and winter coats?! This is my time of year! And it's being ruined by heat. And sweat! (Did I mention that I'm thirty weeks pregnant and overheated as it is? 80 degrees does not work for me at this point.) That said, I was more than happy to stay inside, when possible, and fill the blog with some decent stuff this week. And fill I did!

Some of the big news... more

With the leaves beginning to change colors in some areas, what better time of year exists than the present to acknowledge the beauty of trees and family together. If you can schedule a visit during the fall months, making a family tree would be a great thing to do with one another. If not, you could make one and mail it to your placed child and he could do the same thing.

This is, of course, a project that you should first discuss with your child's parents. The closeness of your relationship will most likely dictate how they will respond to the idea. If they... more