Happy couple admiring the infant they adopted through LifetimeNovember holds a special place in my heart because it is recognized across the U.S. as National Adoption Month. This month is the perfect opportunity to share the beauty of modern adoption.
 
I know the deep-seated need that motivates couples to seek adoption, having endured seven miscarriages before turning to adoption. My own adoption experience drove my desire to help others realize the joy of parenthood through adoption. As a result, I opened Lifetime Adoption in 1986.
 
I love to see people’s dreams come true! I want adoption to be successful for everyone – the birth family, the adoptive parents, and the children.
 
Keep reading to learn more about Lifetime Adoption, a Christian adoption agency, how adoption has changed over the years, and my #1 tip for hopeful adoptive couples!
 

How Has Adoption Evolved?

The process of adoption has dramatically evolved since the days when a mother never saw her child again. Then, adoption was considered a stigma, and birth records were kept sealed. In today’s modern open adoptions, the birth mother participates in the process by picking the adoptive parents and choosing the level of contact with her child and the adoptive family.
 
Closed adoption leaves you open to wondering every day for the rest of your life. But open adoption doesn’t mean goodbye forever. My mission is to educate people about how adoption works in the 21st century. Open adoption is a win-win situation. You have access to your child’s medical information, and your child isn’t confused about where they came from. They actually have more peace about it because they know their birth parents love them. They don’t hate their birth parents, which is one of the things that worries many people.
 

Nationwide Adoption Outreach

Lifetime has a nationwide outreach program to achieve my goal of open adoption education. I often appear on national television as an expert on adoption-related issues. I also host an adoption podcast called Let’s Talk Adoption, and have published several books on adoption.
 
Lifetime gets around 300 phone calls every day and has 50 phone lines. We have counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for emergencies. Lifetime Adoption advertises in most states, and many birth mothers find us on our sites and from Google searches. Other birth mothers find Lifetime from counselors, personal recommendations, hospitals, physicians, TV appearances, pregnancy resource centers, and other nationwide outreach programs. Lifetime has a comprehensive, proven birth mother screening process.
 

The Birth Mother’s Point-of-View

Adoption is an unselfish decision for a pregnant woman, and it’s done out of love. We provide birth mothers with counseling, clothing, and other necessities. We try to give the women who call us stability so they can make the right decision. We don’t pressure them to choose adoption.
 
Lifetime makes licensed counseling available to every potential birth mother and helps as they create their own customized adoption plan. In addition, our exclusive Birth Mother Blessing program, Peer Counseling Service, and scholarship opportunities help keep adoptive family costs lower than other organizations.
 

Tips for Hopeful Adoptive Parents

The best advice I have for couples just starting their adoption journey is to put in all their effort but make sure to have a life too. After completing the necessary paperwork and other items, put them away. You can always come back and see what else there is to do tomorrow.
 
Work towards the baby God meant for you, but don’t let it consume your life. Take time to enjoy these days as a couple before you’re blessed by adoption!