by Katye LaNier, Gladney Team Member
Last week I attended the Birth Mothers Day Celebration in Fort Worth. Gladney’s Post Adoption and Client Services team hosts a monthly support group and this month hosted a dinner and invited birth mothers and their support networks to come in honor of Birth Mother’s Day, which is on May 13th. After dinner, Heather Rogers, Post Adoption Specialist, welcomed everyone and gave some history on Birth Mother’s Day and then all our guests participated in an activity. Everyone wrote a word or short phrase that completes the sentence “Birth Mothers are…” and took a Polaroid of the word and then placed all the words inside a heart. There were some common words used by many – super heroes, brave, strong – and other words/phrases like creative, giving, cherished, grieving & resilient, and not alone.
Heather spoke to the group and talked about how important it is to remember you’re not alone and you do have support from those around you and from the other women in this room who know what it is like to be a birth mother. She talked about grief as a process and how it can ebb and flow at different times and in different seasons of life. It was an evening of connection an recognition and I’m so glad to work at a place that believe in being family for life and supporting and honoring birth mothers.
We also have regional offices that hold monthly support groups – in Austin and Houston, TX, and in Brandon, FL. These groups will also have a special time with birth mothers in honor of Birth Mother’s Day.