It occurs to me
that a lot of my posts are about the challenges of the adoption process,
whether emotionally, psychologically or logistically. A few conversations lately have led me to
compile a list of the cool things about adoption. However, a warning. These are things only adoptive parents can
point out! If you have been able to
birth your children, trust me when I say, these will not be welcomed comments
coming from you. I know. It’s not fair. But experience (and my parents) have
constantly reminded me that life isn’t fair.
So, if you feel the need to make one of these comments to a friend of
yours who is adopting or has adopted in the form of “Well, at least you get to…..”,
for the love of all that is good in this world….DON’T! Maybe just casually introduce them to this blog
instead. I’m just trying to preserve your friendship….maybe
even your life.
Here goes, in no
particular order.
- No stretch marks! I MIGHT have them from years of weight fluctuation and whatnot, but not from being pregnant!
- No gaining fifty pounds and being so uncomfortable. Especially those unfortunate enough to have been nine months pregnant in August. I feel for you! It’s a bonus to not have to deal with that. (I have certainly gained weight before, but due to lack of self-control and laziness, not pregnancy…)
- No physical recovery after delivery. No C-section. No surgeries. No stitches. No drugs. No hours and hours of labor. No being away from home and being woken up every thirty minutes to feed or eat or take my vital signs. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to be able to get pregnant and have a baby. But this post is about the silver lining of adoption, and if I’m looking for awesome things about it, this is one of them! I am healthy and strong and feel amazing when I go pick up my baby. I don’t need days to recover. I am ready to hit the ground running.
- When I take my newborn baby to the store, etc., everyone tells me how great I look for just having had a baby! Yes, I may be vain, but being complimented is awesome. Sometimes I tell them the truth. Sometimes I just act like I’m a total rock star and dropped fifty pounds in 2 weeks and say “thank you!” Sometimes I know exactly what they mean when they look at me and look at my baby and say “how old is he?” I admit…I like to toy with them. However, I will say that if another new mom asks me, and I can see the frustration on her face, I absolutely tell her the truth. She has enough on her plate to be feeling any worse about her body.
- The flurry surrounding bringing the baby home. This may not be a plus for everyone, but I personally enjoyed getting the call and then having a baby within a week. There were no months of planning and anticipation. When you don’t know what age you will be bringing home, it’s really hard to prepare. But, I kind of enjoyed the complete rush of suddenly getting that child. A fast and furious week of preparing and it’s done! Truth be told, that was one of the most fun weeks of my life. I describe the adoption process as “hurry up and wait”. But actually adopting is a lot of “wait and then hurry up!”
- The phone call. This is one of my favorite parts. We only have one child, but we took home two, and we took calls on many more. I LOVE when the social worker calls and says “you’ve been matched with a child” and proceeds to give you all the details of this little person you know nothing about. She gives you all the background information, what he or she looks like and all the challenges that may come up, at least as far as they know. It’s such a fascinating phone call. It’s so exciting and scary, but mostly exciting. I loved hearing D’s physical description and I yearned to hear more and to finally see a picture.
- The ability to brag about your baby. There is something about not being connected through DNA with a child that allows you to be more open to bragging about how cute or smart he or she is. I don’t have to worry that people will think that I think this baby is so awesome because I had something to do with his creation. I can be an obnoxious, bragging parent, all the while giving credit to someone else.
- No saggy breast-feeding boobs. Okay, there is an amount of sagging that comes with age, but it’s not exacerbated by months/years of breast-feeding! Gotta take the perks (so to speak) where you can get them! Sorry breastfeeders, but you know it’s true! Worth it, but true.
- Bottle feeding. Yes, I KNOW that breastfeeding is best. But if I can’t do it, then I will enjoy the great things about bottle feeding. One of them is that my husband and I were much more equal in the amount of time up at night with our baby, because he could feed him, too. We traded off nights, so I knew every other night I wouldn’t have to get up at all. And that made for a less tired mom, which was a happier, more vibrant mom. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my nights feeding my baby. But, I also loved my sleep.
- All the excitement. Everyone is always excited for a new baby. But the cool thing is that when all of your friends know you have been waiting so long, and then suddenly you have this baby, they are so excited, too. My mom said today that if you want a life with peaks, you have to have valleys, too. As we waited years in the valley, it made the peak that much more glorious, and not just for us, but those who have patiently waited with us. I so loved how everyone stopped by bringing gifts and wanting to see the new baby and hear the story. I know they do this with births, too, but sometimes you’re not always in the mood for all the visitors after a pregnancy and delivery. But, I was so ready and it was so much fun, and I didn’t care that I retold the story a hundred times. I could have retold it a hundred more and never been tired of it.
Adoption ain’t for
the faint of heart. It is a long
journey. But, if you look at the fun
things about it, it can make you excited to get on the path again, or maybe for
the first time. My journey has taken us
through our local foster care, so these ten things may not be accurate for
everybody’s adoption experience. And, though
perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek, they are all true.
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