Every child is a gift but some people are not ready to be parents.
John and Mary were shocked to learn that Mary was eight weeks pregnant. Their lifestyle made it hard to take care of themselves, much less a baby. They were paralyzed with fear.
They wouldn’t entertain the thought of abortion, but the thought of becoming parents felt overwhelming.
Six months later, Mary went into labor. Anxiety and worry felt like shackles. Their nurse, seeing their distress connected them to a social worker at the hospital.
Catholic Charities Parenting, Pregnancy and Adoption
The social worker listened to their concerns and said, “I have the perfect person for you to talk to." The hospital social worker phoned the Catholic Charities pregnancy and adoption hotline.
Teresa Doud, Catholic Charities pregnancy specialist, met with John and Mary in the hospital that day. They had a lot of questions about adoption and Doud answered all of them. Over the course of two hours, Mary and John made the decision to place their child with an adoptive family. “They just really wanted their child to grow up in a stable environment with parents who could be fully attentive to his needs,” said Doud.
The Most Loving Option
After deciding that adoption was the best and most loving option for their child, Mary said, “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” She felt like she could breathe again knowing that everything was going to be good for her child.
John and Mary looked at profiles of adoptive families on the Catholic Charities parent waiting list. They both agreed on the “perfect family” found amongst the profiles, the Wilsons.
The Wilsons could not believe the news. They had been praying for the opportunity to become parents for many years. They were excited but also nervous, what if the birth parents didn’t like them? They allowed their hopes to rise but tried to protect their hearts from the severe disappointment that might follow.
Forever Family
John and Mary met the Wilsons. Their fears melted away, and they knew this family would love and care for their baby. This family would give their child everything they couldn’t. They were anxious for their son to be with his forever family and placed him with the Wilsons that day. They look forward to updates about his growth and development and twice a year visits. “They had a sense of peace moving forward with their lives,” said Doud.
The Wilsons became a family of three. All of the waiting, tears and prayers had been worth it.
If you know someone experiencing an unplanned pregnancy encourage them to call our parenting, pregnancy and adoption counselors at 1-888-818-4445 any time day or night. Our loving counselors will help you decide the best option for both parents and baby and connect parents with resources.
