The worst fear of every parent who adopts domestically is that a birth parent will decide he or she wants the child back. That’s exactly what happened in two custody battles that culminated in two very different outcomes.

The first case involved a Florida boy, now 4 ½, whose birth mother placed him for adoption in May 2001, when he was two days old. A month before the adoption was supposed to be finalized, the boy’s biological father filed a motion demanding custody. At that time, the judge informed the adoptive parents that the birth father would likely gain custody.

The birth mother supported the adoption until it appeared the court might grant the birth... more

May 13 is a day set aside specially to honor birth mothers. In 1990, a group of Seattle birthmothers gathered on the Saturday before Mother's Day to honor their motherhood of the children they gave life to. Thus, Birthmother's Day was born.

Now Birthmother's Day is a widespread holiday in the adoption community with many groups holding special events and services to honor birthmothers on this day.

Birthmother's Day Event in South Carolina On May 13th, 2006, a group of birthmothers will be holding a celebration at Lifepoint Community Church in Greenville, SC. Registration is from 9:30-10 a.m.

This free event is for any and all birthmothers,... more

The Internet offers some wonderful Christian groups for all those touched by adoption.

During the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to exchange frequent e-mails with Coley Strickland, one of the founders of a Christian ministry called BirthMom Buds.

BirthMom Buds offers peer counseling, support, encouragement, and friendship to pregnant women considering adoption as well as women who have already placed children for adoption.

One of the highlights of their ministry is their Pregnant and Placing... more