Unplanned pregnancy – what should you do?

You’ve just taken a pregnancy test and you’re stunned by the results – you’re pregnant, and you weren’t planning on it. Unplanned pregnancies happen all the time, but that doesn’t help lessen the shock and fear you’re hit with when it happens to you. You’re at the beginning of an emotional journey, and you’re not sure how to proceed. Pregnancy will change your life, whether you planned to be pregnant or not.

Talking to someone who knows what you’re going through will help more than anything, and we’re here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week – simply call us at 972-491-3333 and we’ll be there for you.

There isn’t a blog post or website in the world that can help you through the process – but we’ve put together this list of tips to help you come to terms with your pregnancy and move forward with the right decision for your […]

Unplanned pregnancy – what should you do?Lifetree Adoption

8 resources for birth mothers

Placing a baby for adoption is an emotional rollercoaster, and emotional support is a huge help for any women who are going through the process. One of Lifetree’s most important goals is supporting birthmothers throughout the adoption process – and beyond. We’re here to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and even to be a shoulder to cry on.

There are a variety of options for emotional support, both in person and online. If you are considering adoption, have already decided to place your child, or have placed in the past, we wanted to share 8 amazing resources to help you find the emotional support you need.

1. Birthmom Buds

(click to visit)
This is an online organization that offers faith-based counseling, support, encouragement, and friendship to birth mothers who have placed, as well as pregnant women considering adoption. They offer several programs for birth mothers:

Buddy System – Get paired with another […]

8 resources for birth mothersLifetree Adoption

10 Most Famous Celebrity Adoptions

According to the numbers, there are about 135,000 adoptions every year in the United States. Historically, it’s a topic that isn’t talked about much, but it’s more common that most people think. In fact, many popular celebrities have adopted, or been adopted. In this month’s blog post, we’re sharing a list of 10 of the most famous celebrities involved with adoption to help show what an integral part of life adoption actually is.

We’ll start with a list of celebrities who have adopted children:

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

While they’re no longer married, likely the most well-known example of celebrity adoption is Brad and Angelina. They have six children, and three of their children (Maddox, Zahara and Pax) were adopted.

Maddox is from Cambodia, Zahara is from Ethiopia, and Pax is from Vietnam.

“We travel often to Asia, Africa, Europe, where they were born. The boys know they’re from Southeast Asia, and they have their food and their music and their friends, and they have a pride particular to them.”

[…]

10 Most Famous Celebrity AdoptionsLifetree Adoption

The best adoption blogs of 2021

Adoption can be an overwhelming and stressful journey. Whether you’re a birth mother looking to place your child with a family, or an adoptive family looking to adopt a new baby, the questions and the unknowns can be incredibly challenging.

We’re always here to help, on both sides of the fence. We know that having someone experienced in your corner can help ease the stress, but many times, it’s most helpful to know what it’s like to be in those shoes. Over the years, many birth mothers and adoptive families have turned to blogging, sharing their highs and lows through posts online.

We thought it would be helpful to share a list of some of the best adoption blogs, so you can learn about others’ journeys with adoption. You can read about the things they’ve learned and choices they’ve made, and in many cases, get a few laughs along the way.

So here’s our list:

Rage Against the Minivan

Written by Karen, a marriage and family therapist who’s the mother to 4 children through birth and adoption. It’s a great blog […]

The best adoption blogs of 2021Lifetree Adoption

Helpful books about adoption

adoption books Adoption can be incredibly stressful, especially during the unprecedented lockdowns and social distancing caused by the coronavirus. There are endless questions, and the questions don’t stop once the adoption happens. We’ve put together this list of amazing books that will help you through your adoption journey. Whether you’re a first-time adoptive family or you’ve adopted before, these books will help you prepare for your adoption and help you parent your adopted child.

These are all available at your local library, but you’ll most likely want to purchase them to keep, so we’ve included links to buy the books on Amazon.

Adoption: Choosing It, Living It, Loving It; Straight Answers to Heartfelt Questions

by Ray Guarendi
Buy on Amazon

This book is written by a psychologist who is the father of ten adopted children, and he shares the most common questions about adoption. It’s a great book to break down the misconceptions and myths about adoption, and it’s a great guide for adpotive […]

Helpful books about adoptionLifetree Adoption

10 Reasons to Place a Child for Adoption

common reasons for adoption If you’re pregnant and not sure what to do, please remember that “adoption is an option” – it’s a choice that you make for very specific reasons. You’re making a decision – both for your child and for yourself – that’s based in love and compassion. As we always say, you’re not “giving up” your child for adoption, you’re making a decision to “place” them for adoption with a loving family.

There are a multitude of reasons that birth mothers choose adoption – and we know from years of experience that every situation is unique. However, there are several common reasons that birth moms choose adoption, and we wanted to share the 10 most common reasons – so you know that you’re not alone and that other birth mothers have been where you are right now. […]

10 Reasons to Place a Child for AdoptionLifetree Adoption

How COVID has affected adoption

How COVID has affected the adoption process

We’re five months into the COVID lockdown, and most of the US is still sheltering in place and social distancing. Schedules are massively different for most families out there, and as we roll into the fall and start school again, many families are wondering how school and childcare will work with the new normal of social distancing and required masks.

One of the most common questions we hear is “How will COVID affect our adoption process?”, so we wanted to share a post explaining what’s changed, and what’s stayed the same. […]

How COVID has affected adoptionLifetree Adoption

How to choose a good adoption agency

how to choose an adoption agency Whether you’re expecting and exploring your options or you’re a family looking to adopt a new baby, finding the right adoption agency is an important yet scary step in the process. It’s a major life decision, so it’s important to make the right choice.

We know you have a ton of questions to ask – and we’re here to help answer those questions! Finding the right adoption agency makes all the difference in the world. You want an agency that takes personal interest in your adoption journey, not an agency who treats you like just another number.

Over the years, we’ve worked with hundreds of birthmothers, adoptive families, birth centers, and hospitals. But most importantly, our founder Robin is an adoptive mother herself. When she adopted, she was completely new to the adoption world and had no idea where to start. She talked to multiple adoption agencies before finding one that took the time to fully explain the process and answer all of her questions.

She built Lifetree around the same idea – taking the extra […]

How to choose a good adoption agencyLifetree Adoption

5 Tips for Birth Parents in an Open Adoption

One of the questions we hear most often from birth parents is “How does open adoption actually work in the long run?” We get it – you’re placing your child with another family, and you’re wondering how “open” things remain as time goes by.

We always answer with stories about past birth parents we’ve worked with, and how they’re all so happy with their decision because the open adoption was truly a long lasting relationship with the adoptive parents. Years later, the relationship is actually stronger.

The relationship between and adoptive family and the birth parents is the same as any other personal relationship in your life – it’s built on mutual respect and trust. And just like any other personal relationship in your life, it grows deeper as time goes by.

If you’re considering placing your child, and you’re wondering how open adoption will work for you, we wanted to share these five simple tips that we share with all of our birth parents. These tips will help you build an amazing relationship with the adoptive parents […]

5 Tips for Birth Parents in an Open AdoptionLifetree Adoption

Should I give up my baby for adoption?

The most important thing to realize is that you’re not giving up – we said it in a past blog post, and we tell every birthmother we meet… You’re not giving up, you’re choosing a better future for both you and your baby. You can’t control everything in your life, and sometimes you simply can’t handle raising a child. Choosing adoption doesn’t mean you don’t feel the same selfless, unconditional love that every parent feels… In fact, choosing adoption is proof of that love, because you’re putting your child’s future and happiness above everything.

You’re not giving up!

That’s why we always say that asking yourself “Should I give up my baby for adoption?” is never the right question to ask. You’re not giving up on your baby, or yourself. You’re “placing” your baby for adoption and choosing a better future. You’re giving an amazing gift – not only to your baby, but to the adoptive family. You’re giving another woman a chance to be a mother – and it’s entirely possible she might not have […]

Should I give up my baby for adoption?Lifetree Adoption