Ask the Open Adoption Expert: Dealing with guilt over the birthmom's grief“It’s been difficult to watch our daughter’s birthmother grieve. We’re thrilled to be parents, so why do we feel so guilty?”As featured in AF September/October 2008
In open adoption, parents experience a mix of emotions. There is the joy you feel in your new capacity as Mom and Dad. However, you also know firsthand the birthparents’ sorrow. As a result, you feel two extremes at once—happiness for yourself and sadness for the birthmother.
Many parents feel guilty because their joy is the direct result of a difficult decision by the birthmother—someone you may have grown to care about. No matter how strong the desire to build a family, who would ever take a baby from a woman who didn’t want to place her child for adoption? So when a new adoptive mother sees the birthmother in intense pain, she asks herself, “Was adoption really the right thing to do?” However, the birthmother’s grief doesn’t mean she has changed her mind about adoption; rather, it’s a natural response to her loss.
It’s normal for you to empathize with the birthmother’s grief. This demonstrates your caring for and connection with her. Your empathy will aid you in helping your child understand her adoption as she ages. When your daughter asks why she was placed for adoption, you will be equipped to respond, because you saw the love and heartache that went into making her adoption plan.
Taking care of you
In the meantime, how do you work through your mixed emotions? First, keep in mind that there are stages—including anger, depression, and acceptance—that everyone goes through in dealing with loss. These stages are part of the healing process, and you’ll need to experience them to reach the point of resolution. (The same holds true for the
The birthmom’s sorrow is a natural response to loss—it doesn’t mean she regrets her decision.
birthmother.) Talking about your feelings helps. I encourage you to talk with your spouse, friends, relatives, therapist, or social worker. You might also find it helpful to read about the grief experience.
If your feelings of depression and/or guilt interfere with bonding with your baby, keep in mind that the birthmother wants you to parent your baby. By selecting you and your spouse, and by placing the baby in your arms at the hospital, she has, in effect, given you “permission” to parent. So don’t hold back from loving your baby—it’s what she wants you to do, despite the distress that she is experiencing. Sharing your joy can also help the birthmom work through her feelings of grief more quickly and easily, so keep sending those letters and pictures.
One mother I know, Kristine, remembers that guilt kept her from bonding; she often felt like a babysitter to her daughter, Haley. Finally, when the birthmom reassured her, “You are doing great; thank you for being such a wonderful mom to Haley,” Kristine was able to fully bond with her baby—she felt she’d been given permission to do so.
Another mom, Jennifer, told her agency’s social worker that she loved her baby, Caleb, but she felt that he wasn’t hers. The social worker felt that Jennifer’s empathy with the birthmom and her own sorrow were hampering the bonding process. Time helped Jennifer bond with Caleb and feel entitled to parent him, as did talking through her feelings.
Remember, there is no quick fix—it may take several months, or more, to get past the raw emotions. Eventually, you and your spouse will move on from the sadness to enjoy a happy, satisfied life with your child. The birthmother will be able to move on, as well, knowing that your child is loved. Back To Home Page ©2013 Adoptive Families. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. |
Comments
Good article. JC
Posted by: Jerry Callens at 12:17pm Mar 24
The grief process for Birthmothers does not seem to follow the same path of regular grief expressions and often becomes a process of continuous grief due to the lack of closure. IN addition, many agencies tell mothers that they will be peaceful and find happiness after the adoption relinquishment because they know that their child is safe and happy. So when the grief does not stop, the mother finds herself questioning her own feelings and "normality". It is helpful for birthmothers to find a community to support them and to hear their feelings. This also gives them a healthy outlet to express their grief and sadness rather than have the adoptive families feel guilty. Claudia Corrigan D'Arcy Birthmtoher circa 1987 http://www.adoptionbirthmothers.com/birthmothers-dealing-with-a-life-of-grief/coping-with-birthmother-grief/
Posted by: Claudia Corrigan D'Arcy at 11:51am Jan 31
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