A late afternoon text turned into an opportunity to stand by a courageous birth mother as she faced a crisis situation ! When I first received the text, I quickly saw that perhaps she was looking for someone that spoke Spanish. I asked if I could call her so we could speak, to which she agreed. We had a great conversation and she shared with me more about her current situation and her desire to make an adoption plan for her unborn child. She shared that she was about 34 weeks pregnant and had received limited prenatal care. We agreed to meet at a local restaurant the next day.
We had things set up for lunch on Saturday and I was really looking forward to meeting her. When she came into the restaurant, I could see she was very uncomfortable and not feeling well. We still continued to talk and I answered her questions and provided her with the information she was seeking. Not too far into lunch, I noticed that things were getting worse for her and she mentioned that perhaps she needed to go home and lay down for a while, which of course I understood. As we walked out together, I suggested she go get checked out at the hospital across the street and I offered to go with her. She agreed and within minutes we were at the emergency room at our local hospital.
As she was admitted to labor and delivery, I could see and hear the concern in the voices of the nurses and doctors that were providing her care. Even though she could not understand all of what they were saying, she too could see their faces and she too began to become very concerned. Additionally, her physical pain had really increased and before long the doctor asked me to translate to her that she and her baby were in danger and that she needed an emergency c-section that very minute. The doctor and nurses wanted me to tell her that they needed to move quickly to save her and her baby’s life. This young woman was scared and began to cry and tell me to tell them she did not want to have a c-section. Once again, The doctor insisted that I explain to her that this was a critical situation and that the procedure had to be done immediately. So..she agreed and everyone started to prep for surgery. The nurse came to me and handed me scrubs and a hat and told me that the doctor had requested that I come into surgery with them! He wanted me to be there to translate for them as they talked to her about what was happening. I was shocked but of course agreed and next thing I knew, I found myself in the operating room holding this woman’s hand and doing all I could to support and reassure her that I would be with her through the whole thing and that everything would be ok. After doing adoptions for so long, I really thought I had experienced everything but I was wrong! This was really an incredible opportunity to really be there for this mom and support her through this very difficult process! The nurses asked her who could make medical decisions for her in case of emergency and she pointed to ME! I had just met her that very day but she told me she did not have anyone else to call so I agreed to do whatever she needed me to do.
This amazing woman gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl! Like I had promised her, I was there when she woke up. I got to be the one to tell her that her baby was healthy and that she was going to be okay. So much had happened so quickly. She was in pain and needed time to recover physically and emotionally.
We had a lot of time to talk about things in her life and explore where she was with her adoption decision. I wanted to make sure that this was what she wanted. She shared with me that she was a single mom and had a six year old daughter she was raising on her own. She shared that she was from Puerto Rico and had lost everything during the last hurricane that hit the island. She talked about moving to this area due to her sister living close by at the time, and struggling to find work especially with the challenges of speaking limited English.
She described to me the sort of family that she wanted for her daughter. She wanted a family that could provide for her daughter and give her the opportunities she deserved. She wanted her to be able to vacation, go to college if she wished and be loved unconditionally. She was specific about wanting one of the adoptive parents to be fluent in Spanish. She wanted her daughter to be exposed to the language and culture she had grown up with herself. I told her about a family that had been waiting a long time and how they would be honored to meet her. Before long, the adoptive family and this wonderful birth mom met and truly it was a match made in heaven!
Adoption is truly such a selfless and loving choice! To witness this woman’s physical and emotional pain to do what she thought was best for her child was beautiful and amazing. I was honored to witness a part of this miracle! Incredible bravery, love and sacrifice. Everyone agreed to stay in touch and watch this baby girl grow. A child truly loved by so many!
If you are considering making an adoption plan for your child, feel free to call or text me anytime. I would be happy to have the chance to meet you and give you the information you need to make the right decision for you and your child. Text or Call 850-815-5858.