I'm working on a series for the
birthparent blog. I e-mailed with a few birthparents regarding this survey but I'd like a wider range of adoption situations. If you have gone on to parent a child after placing, please take a moment to fill out this survey. The series will be focusing on the emotional issues facing birth parents as they begin to grow their family. It will launch on the blog on February 1st and run through the entire first week. (It's like I'm doing Sweeps on the blog! HA! I'm a broadcaster through and through.)
If you feel better/safer/etc sharing these answers via PM, please do so. If you know another birth parent that would like to participate in this survey, please PM me with the e-mail address.
This survey is open to all types of adoptions; closed, open, decades ago, recent. The only condition is that you have gone on to parent another child.
Thanks in advance for all help and participation!
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First initial:
Was the adoption of your placed child open or closed?
How many years separate your placed child from the first child you parented?
How was your pregnancy with your first parented child on an emotional level? Were there things that you experienced emotionally that you did not know to expect or caught you off guard?
How was your delivery with your first parented child? How did your hospital experience differ from the delivery and stay with your placed child?
During the first few weeks at home, did you find yourself thinking about your placed child? When? Why? How did you deal with those feelings?
Did you find yourself either amazed at your parenting abilities or doubting yourself entirely due to the placement of your first child? Why? How did you deal with these thoughts and feelings?
Did your success as a parent bring up any new emotions that you hadn't experienced prior to the birth of your first parented child? Did you feel angry with yourself or others involved in your adoption?
Did the feelings further solidify the decision that placement was the right option for your situation?
As your child grew, did your parented child's new milestones and life experiences bring up emotions? How did you deal with them?
Did you/Do you have someone to discuss these kinds of topics with? During your pregnancy? As you continue to parent? If not, what do you do with these emotions?
What, if any, advice do you have for birthmothers looking to add to their family?
Feel free to add anything you wish here: