Our Adoption StoryDan & Brooke

How did you decide to adopt a baby?

We decided to go with the adoption process because we had always had the overwhelming urge to have our own family, but had been unsuccessful in completing that on our own. After many years of heartache and loss, we decided adoption would be the best option for us going forward. Thankfully it was the right choice and we couldn’t be happier that we made it!

Why did you choose to work with Angel Adoption?

The decision to go with Angel was one we came to pretty quickly. We looked at and spoke to other agencies, but the feeling of not getting lost in the wings with many, many other waiting families was what really made the decision for us. We wanted this process to be as easy and quick as possible, and Angel offered that for us.

What were you most excited about?

We were most excited about the thought of bringing a sweet baby home to complete our family.

What were you most nervous about?

We were nervous about the obvious things: Will we be what an expectant mother is looking for? Will the expectant mother change her mind when we get to the end?

How did your friends and family react to your decision to adopt?

We kept our adoption process pretty close-lipped with the exception of our immediate family and very close friends. We didn’t know how things would go and we weren’t sure if we could handle telling our families about another upset in our process to have a little one. Our family and friends we did tell were overjoyed and couldn’t wait for us to bring a little one home.

What was it like meeting the birth parents for the first time?

When we met our expectant mother, we were obviously all very nervous. We were lucky enough to have built a wonderful relationship through phone, text, and email prior to meeting her, so it made things a bit easier. Once we got over the first few jitters things just fell into place and we had a wonderful day.

Describe the experience of your baby being born.

We had been in contact daily with our expectant mother prior to the birth. Once the doctors told her it would be any time, we headed down to the rental house that we had set up. Our expectant mother came and stayed with us until she delivered, which was about a week, since her place was farther away from the hospital. When her water broke, we all went to the hospital together and we were lucky enough to be in the room for the whole delivery. Watching our baby being born and my husband being able to cut the cord was such an amazing experience. Once our sweet girl was checked out after delivery, she was brought to our room, which was set up right next door so we could both do skin-to-skin with her. The hospital was amazing and had another room for us and the baby after labor and delivery so we could stay with her until she was discharged. Luckily our birthmother was amazing and gave us this honor. She did ask to see her before we left the hospital, but never once did we feel like things were going to change. She continued to assure us that the baby had always been meant to be ours. We consider ourselves very blessed to have had the experience that we did.

Describe the experience of finally meeting your baby.

When we got to hold our baby for the first time, we were overwhelmed with joy and relief that she was finally here and we could start our family. She was absolutely the most beautiful thing we had both ever seen.

Did you choose an open or closed adoption? How did you make that decision?

We chose an open adoption. We went back and forth between semi-open and open, but in the end, we think open was the best choice for all parties involved.

What is your relationship like with the birthmother?

Our relationship with our birthmother is amazing. We still talk to her a few times a week as well as share pictures and updates with her. We had our first visit with her since the birth of our daughter about 13 months later.

What were the biggest challenges of the adoption process?

I think the biggest challenge of the whole process was dealing with the legal side of things. Sadly our attorney was not the best fit for us so he made the process much more difficult than it really needed to be.

Adopting a baby can be a lengthy process — how did you get through the wait?

Luckily our adoption process was very quick, so we didn’t have to wait very long to be chosen, but the wait for our daughter to get here seemed like it took forever. We just tried to stay busy and plan for her arrival to keep our sanity.

Would you adopt again? Why or why not?

We are not sure if we will adopt again. Not because of the process, we just aren’t sure if it is the right fit for our family now. Never say never though—we may get baby fever again!

What advice do you have to share with other adoptive parents?

If I had any advice to give adoptive parents it would be to just stay calm and have faith that this is the right path for you. There are days when it may feel daunting and overwhelming, but it will all pay off. In the end, all those things that seemed like big things at the time are just small stepping stones along the journey to your greatest gift.