Mothers love their children. It’s a fantastic and mysterious phenomenon how a mother has a natural care and concern for her child. If you already have children, you will know what this is like. At the same time, it will also be easy for you to understand how much your children need from you. Food, clothes, protection, love–these and so much more are all things that your baby is dependent on you for, and while you want to give them the very best, you’re a person and you have limits on what you are able to give.
So what happens if you have children, and you become pregnant with a baby that you didn’t plan for? This is exactly what has happened to many of our birth mothers. This is why Gladney provides several services to birth mothers that are focused on helping them taking care of themselves. We ask you to ask yourself, "Why am I putting baby up for adoption?" or rather "making an adoption plan". Here are just a hand full of some of the services we offer:
Rest & Respite. This is a special program designed to give parents a small break. We know that paying babysitters is expensive and sometimes family is unavailable, so here at Gladney we have a list of special couples called transitional care workers. These volunteers care for a child (or children) for a couple of weeks in order to give a mother considering pregnancy an opportunity to clear her head and figure out what’s best for her, her baby, and her other children. These transitional care workers have been thoroughly investigated and can be fully trusted. The point of this program is to give you the opportunity to thoroughly examine adoption before deciding to place for adoption.
Individual Counseling. In an unplanned pregnancy–especially one with other children involved–it can be hard to look at things objectively. At Gladney, our counselors want to help you figure out what’s best for you and all your little ones. Because they are outside of your situation, they can help you objectively look at your situation to discover possibilities that you might not have even seen before. More than anything, they specialize in encouragement and giving hope.
Next Steps. Next Steps is a program designed for birth mothers–women who have decided they want to place their baby with an adoptive family. The goal of Next Steps is to provide birth mothers with the means to tackle their life goals. For some of them, this means helping them get involved in an educational program. For others, the next step involves career coaching such as resume writing help, interview practice, and job searching. Wherever you are at and whatever your life dream is, Next Steps will walk with you through the first part of making that dream a reality.
These are only a few of the ways that Gladney helps birth mothers help themselves–and their children. If you are pregnant, already have children, and feel like you drowning, we encourage you to talk to someone. If you feel like you don’t have anyone you can talk to (or you just need to talk to someone outside of your situation), you can text one of Gladney’s options counselors at 800-452-3639.