Brianna had been stressed out since she saw the plus sign on her pregnancy test. When she looked in the mirror, she didn’t see a glow, that’s for sure, only worry and stress on her face. Her boyfriend, Michael, was willing to marry her if she decided to keep the baby, but they were both too young for marriage and raising a child.
Brianna’s best friend had been pressuring her to get an abortion. For days, Brianna and Michael tearfully considered this option. But, says Brianna, “We’re Christians and believe that life begins at conception. There was no way I could abort the little person growing inside of me. So, I chose adoption for my baby.” Brianna contacted Lifetime to find an adoptive family for her unborn baby.
She wanted a Christian couple with at least one child so her baby would have a sibling. As we talked, we were both looking at hopeful adoptive parents on this site.
“I don’t really like this mother,” said Brianna. “She looks, I don’t know, kind of, too stern or something.”
“Okay,” I answered. “Click down to the next family, Pam and Tim.”
She took a look. “Oh, they’re really cute,” she said. “Their daughter is precious and look what a cute little dog.”
Later that day, Michael and Brianna went back to Pam and Tim’s website together to read their Dear Birth Mother letter, look at their photos, and watch their video. They were one of several couples Brianna wanted to interview and, as it turned out, the one she chose.
We emailed Brianna the required paperwork. She printed it out and went over it with her boyfriend. She faxed the medical release, proof of pregnancy, and the signed papers to our office. We offered to connect her with a counselor at no charge to her, to help her deal with the emotions of choosing adoption for her baby. Also, we let her know she could talk to other women that have chosen adoption.
When Brianna went into labor, Pam and Tim flew out to her city. She had created an adoption hospital plan, and in it, she directed who could be at the hospital for the delivery, who would hold her baby first, and who should leave first. Once her son was born and she saw him settled in with the adoptive family, she went back home without regrets. “I feel so thankful that I chose adoption for my baby and gave my child life, instead of choosing abortion!” Brianna told us.
In this era of open adoption and the Internet, the pregnancy of an unwed woman is not hidden in secrecy or shame. Far from it. Young expecting women go online with their mothers, boyfriends, or friends looking for adoptive parents. They email profiles to grandparents asking, “How do you like this family?” The birth and the adoption are well-planned events. Many years ago, a woman in Brianna’s shoes was limited to placing her child through agencies located in her county. The baby was placed with a family that may not have been Christians or had other qualities the birth mother wished for her baby. Now, with the help of the Internet and open adoptions, all of this has changed.
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