Birthparents Share Their Adoption Stories

Birthparents share their stories

The Cradle Podcast - In her own words: a birthmom tells her story

Birthparents share their stories on YouTube

Meet Jessica
"... When faced with this unexpected crisis at 18 I was left with three options -- an abortion, parenting, or adoption. Since abortion was not an option I could live with, I assumed the only remaining choice would be to parent this child as an 18 year old single mother. At the time adoption was not an option I was going to consider due to my lack of education on it. My previous perspective was that deciding on an adoption would be "giving up" (A phrase I now strongly dislike!) my child to complete strangers and never seeing him again which was unbearable to even consider..."
Write to Jessica on the Community Forum, and read her blog about her adoption experience >

Struggling families look at adoption.
"MARENGO, Ill. — Renee Siegfort broke the news to her three teenagers on Mother's Day last year: She was pregnant. She really wanted the baby. Her kids did, too. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend of three years did not. "I talked to God a lot, asking what does this mean. What am I supposed to do?" she recalls. She was working long hours as an office manager at a chiropractic firm and just making ends meet. She would need to take on a new expense: child care. "We live simply," says Renee, 36, looking around the living room of her three-bedroom town home. "There wasn't much more we could simplify in our lives." As much as she wanted the baby, she says, "I didn't want to hurt my children." So after giving birth Dec. 30, she nursed Josephine Olivia Renee for six days. She then did something she would not have imagined nine months earlier: She gave her child to another family..."

Rachel's Story
How I found a safe haven through open adoption
"When I found out I was pregnant, it was not a happy moment for me. I am already the mom to three young children and I was no longer with the baby's father."
click here to read more

Michelle's Story
Giving Thanks: A proud choice for her daughter
"It was never a question whether or not adoption was the right decision for my baby and I, it was: Would I find the right parents to adopt my child?"

Making the best decision for my son
How research, The Cradle, and my faith pointed me toward adoption
"I knew there was only one family out there that could give my son all I wanted for him that I could not give and that the only way I could follow through with the decision of adoption was if I found them."

How I Chose My Family
Finding my baby a family
"I could choose the age, race, religion, and if the mother was going to stay home after the baby was born, among other things...My counselor arranged a meeting with my first choice of adoptive parents and we met a few days later."

Respect for a Birthmother
Heartfelt respect
"I placed my son, Max, a little over five years ago. I cherish the moments I have with Max and continue to see him as often as I can. I feel very lucky that my experience has been such a positive one, and I value and adore his new family."

Making the Decision
Why secrecy and shame weren’t the answers
"When my wife told me she was pregnant with our third child in three years, I felt overwhelmed, my mind raced to find a solution. I knew that we could not afford to parent this child."

Carissa's Story
Light at the End of the Tunnel
"I was starting my senior year of high school and found myself pregnant. I thought of my unstable home, the stepfather I didn’t get along with, and my boyfriend who was even younger than I was."

Erin's Story
You don't need to live with a doubt
"I placed my son for adoption 7 years ago. I was 19 years old at the time and the pregnancy was a result of an assault. While pregnant, I really considered all my options, towards the end of my pregnancy I knew in my heart that adoption was the right choice for me and my child, but it wasn’t until after the baby was born that I first made contact with an adoption agency."

Jean's Story
At the age of 77, I talked to my daughter for the first time
"I gave birth to Laura Helen in 1951. At the time, I was an unwed, college-aged woman, and parenting my child just wouldn’t have been accepted. Open adoption wasn’t an option yet either."

Lupe's Story
She chose adoption for her son
"Lupe was a frightened and overwhelmed nineteen-year-old in an abusive relationship, trying to care for her toddler daughter and infant son. Fearing for her life, she took her children and fled from the home they shared with her boyfriend. They ended up in a shelter, exhausted, alone and with no money."

Nora's Story
I realized adoption would be the best choice for my daughter's future
"Amid all the questions I faced when I found myself pregnant at 16, I also grappled with a few undeniable facts. I knew I wasn’t in any position to take care of my baby. I was still in high school, and my relationship with the baby’s father had grown estranged. Still, I knew I wanted my daughter to have two parents and a stable home life."

Kerry's Story
As soon as I realized I was pregnant, I looked into adoption"
"I had my first child when I was 17 years old. I got married and pretty soon I was a young mother of four boys! My marriage didn’t last, though, so I became a single mom to four --- a lot of work, but I was up for it. While a student at a local community college, I took a job at a gas station working second shift. Unfortunately, one night someone was waiting for me in the parking lot. I became pregnant as a result of that assault."

Kimberly's Story
I already had two kids as a single mom when I found out I was pregnant
"I heard about The Cradle on TV, and I liked what I learned about open adoptions. I just couldn’t imagine knowing I had a daughter out there and not knowing how she was, what kind of person she was, if she was being treated like she was supposed to be treated, or being raised right."