Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care Transitioning Home as a Newly Adoptive Family
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What should you expect as you return home with a newly adopted baby or child? What are the common emotions? We talk with Laura Jean Beauvais, a licensed professional counselor and mother of two adult daughters through adoption. She has conducted domestic, foster, and international adoptions for more than 25 years.
In this episode, we cover:
Adopting a Newborn
- What are some common emotions when adopting a newborn?
- What are some common stresses when adopting a newborn?
- How may the revocation period affect the transition to new adoptive parenting?
- Expectations of extended family during this transition period.
- How do the stresses of newly adopted families differ from a family that gives birth to their child?
- How does the pre-adoption process affect this transition to new parenthood?
- What are some feelings that come up about birth parents after the baby comes home?
- Realities of open adoptions
- Handling grief of birth family
- Feeling like the presence of a birth mom makes the adoptive mom less of a “real” mom
- The balance of power shifting from the expectant/birth mom to the adoptive mom
- How much of your child’s “story” should you share?
- How can infertility struggles impact the transition period?
Adopting a Child Past Infancy
- What are some common emotions when adopting a child from foster care or through international adoption?
- What are some common stresses when adopting a child past infancy?
- The challenge of setting realistic expectations.
- How to help your child and you settle in to becoming a new family.
Post Adoption Depression
- What is post-adoption depression?
- What are the symptoms?
- How common is post-adoption depression?
- Can fathers also have post-adoption depression?
- Who is at risk for post-adoption depression? Are there ways to predict which people are more prone to post-adoption depression?
- How can post-adoption depression impact parenting?
- What are some steps to take to prevent post-adoption depression?
- What should you do if you think you are suffering from post-adoption depression?
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
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