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With our first, we were present at her birth and I had several months of euphoria. I lost weight, glowed, and was so happy it showed. It was like being in love ('cuz I was!)
With my second, our son came to us at 4 weeks old. Maybe it's because I missed his birth, or because he was second, or because I was even more sleep-deprived, ...but I feel into PAD for about a year.
I didn't know PAD existed, but our SW was non-judgmental enough that I was able to tell her how I was feeling in our post-placement follow-ups. She found some research on it for me, and soon Adoptive Families had an article on it, too. It meant a lot to me that our SW trusted I would get through PAD and eventually be "normal."
Time and a therapist helped me out. It was a very dark, scary place where I couldn't love myself. I am now available to my agency to talk with anyone else who feels depressed/angry after getting what she hoped for most in the world.
P.S. Happy ending -- my son is in a 3-way tie for being the love of my life!
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