Listen to the stories of lives affected by adoption...
Adoption changed our lives for the better. This happened because of the selflessness of two birth mothers who gave life to their children and chose to place them for Adoption, because the time wasn’t right for them.
By so doing it lifted the cloud of childlessness from over Michael and myself and gave us a family. We remain forever grateful for the huge sacrifices our children’s birth mothers made.
For adoptive families everywhere birth mothers are our real champions. Ironically, at your lowest moment you are also the seeds of the greatest hope! Like the tag line to this site says ‘the gift of life is in your hands’ because your decision really counts.
For all of us affected by Adoption the story begins with birth mothers. This site honours your legacy but it also aims to reach out and support today’s women, in crisis with unplanned pregnancies, who may be considering their options at this very moment.
Our first goal is to say can we help you keep your child. If that is not possible we ask if you have considered Adoption or fostering as a choice for your baby? Adoption and fostering will keep the door open to a future for both you and your baby. I know this to be true. Today our son (22) has just begun to communicate with his birth mother and it’s going very well.
I want you to know that adoption today is a healthy process! It places the best interests of the child at the centre of the process as determined by the wishes of the birth mother/parents. Only after those wishes are known does the adoptive family come into the picture. These are the rules of the Hague agreement under which adoption takes place today. I support them fully.
I want to also say how grateful I am to the many contributors of adoption stories to this site - the birth mothers, the adopted persons, the adoptive families and the prospective adoptive parents who would love the chance to be parents. We are open to accepting more adoption stories on an ongoing basis. Please take a moment to read through these stories to hear the Adoption story from every perspective. It’s life in the making.
Know your power. The gift of life is in your hands. The choice is yours.
Should you or anyone you know be in an unplanned pregnancy and considering their options, please have a read through the real-life stories and check out the links on this site. They may help you.
Every good wish,
Fidelma Healy Eames
Birth mothers are in the driving seat when it comes to Domestic Adoption in Ireland.
You choose what is best for your child.
Support
When you contact TUSLA, you will be given your own social worker who will guide you through the adoption process. You can contact them at any time during your pregnancy, or after you give birth to your baby.
You choose your baby’s parents. Your social worker will gather the profiles of the hopeful Adoptive Parents that are closest to what you wish for. You can choose from their profile and you can interview them if you wish. There are many hopeful couples who have gone through the adoption vetting process and are waiting for the chance to become parents.
Future Contact with your Child
You can specify what kind of future contact you would like with your child. This might be something you would prefer to revisit in later years, which is fine too.
Changing your mind
After you have decided on adoption for your baby, there is a period of time when you can change your mind and decide to keep your baby. This is usually between 3 and 6 months after the birth of your baby, but can sometimes be longer. During this time your baby can be with you or a designated foster family where you can visit your baby if you wish.
Your baby will be placed with your chosen adoptive family for a period of approximately 3-12 months before the legal adoption takes place.
This is where the parents you have chosen become the legal parents of your baby.
You will always be your baby’s birth mother and part of their life story.
Adoption is a real option.
| This young man thanks his birth mother for giving him life: "I’m glad I exist", he said. |
If you find yourself with an unplanned or crisis pregnancy, remember that you are not alone. Throughout Ireland there are other women in the same situation, maybe feeling as though they don't have support or they can't manage. Some are being told by family, friends, partners, or even organisations set up to help women that an abortion may be the right way to go.
Don't panic. You are not alone. My Adoption Story is here to assist you at this difficult time. Please have a read through the real-life stories and check out the links on this site. They may help you.
Services to assist you...
My Adoption Story offers the following services:
(i) keep their babies in the first instance and if that is not possible
(ii) to improve the ease with which couples/ individuals can be assessed for adoption; to reduce waiting times for placement of a baby with a family, once assessed. Please feel free to bring your concerns to our attention.
Listen to an interview about My Adoption Story
Listen to the stories of lives changed by adoption, thanks to their birth mothers
