Happy Mother’s Day! The next three stories will highlight three perspectives on motherhood through the lens of a birth mother, adoptive mother, and birth grandmother. To mothers everywhere, we at New Life want to thank you for all you do. We hope these stories encourage you!
STORY 20/50: Motherhood to me is unconditional love. The second I found out I was pregnant, I knew I would do absolutely anything to make sure my daughter always feels safe and loved. I felt calmer than I expected after the initial shock, but I was still unsure of what my future would look like. I had been living with my ex-boyfriend and distancing myself from my family.
The next day, I called my mom and asked her to pick me up. I got in the car and said, “Mom, please don’t hate me. I’m pregnant.” She sat there for a minute before saying, “Okay, go grab your things. We’ll get you home. It’s going to be okay. I love you.”
My mom was my number one support the entire time. She dropped everything in her life to make sure that I felt supported. I have put her through a lot, and she has never shown me anything but unconditional love.
Adoption was never something I thought I’d consider. Throughout my decision-making process, New Life was a truly supportive environment. I was even able to talk to a birth mother who had been through a similar journey, and she gave me reassurance and hope for the future. The most important thing to me was giving my child the best life possible, and eventually I realized that adoption was the best plan for both of us.
Narrowing an adoptive family down from thirteen to one was tough. My mom and I prayed together about the choice, and when we met John and Rachel for the first time, we both felt like it was obvious—they were meant to be my daughter’s family.
The most emotional time was when my daughter was born. I had 48 hours with her before we had to go our separate ways. I could have stayed in the hospital holding her forever. It absolutely crushed my heart to drive home without her. I knew that I could trust John and Rachel, but part of me was terrified that I was no longer in control and that I couldn’t keep my baby safe anymore.
Eventually, I realized that I had done everything in my power to keep her safe. She’s so happy with her adoptive family and has a stable home with parents who were ready to raise a child. They are wonderful and love her so much. I have also gained her adoptive family as a family of my own. We do activities together and communicate a lot—I get lots and lots of pictures! Just seeing her happy makes me happy.
This is better than anything I could have imagined, and I am grateful for both the joys and the struggles. I truly believe that God orchestrated this all and made everything work out exactly how He wanted.
