Just like with restaurants, HFS finds that there are times when we are quiet and then there are times when a lot happens all at once. April, May and June were definitely on that busy side! Here are some highlights:
I worked with a birth mother in Riverside from April to June. She already had 4 children and was considering making an adoption plan for her unborn child. Having recently separated from her husband, she wasn’t sure what her future held. We assisted with financial support for her and I provided her with emotional support and education during this time. Ultimately she did decide to bring the baby home with her and we wish her and her family all the best in the future.
Leticia seems to be our current lucky charm when it comes to hospital calls. The week of May 9th saw two calls, with one coming from Saddleback Memorial Hospital with a teen couple wanting to make an adoption plan for their newborn son. Leticia met with them and talked about their options and medical background. Both were clear that they didn’t feel ready to be parents and felt they had been caring for their son in preparation for him to join another family through adoption. Both studied the adoption profiles and picked a family. The couples met at the hospital and got along well. Laughing about Dodgers versus Angels, a love of Disney, and the importance of extended family. At the time of discharge, the couples exchanged gifts with the understanding that there were so many people who already loved this special little boy and would continue to dream for him and nurture him.
In that same week, another hospital call came in from St. John’s in Oxnard. Leticia went out to meet a couple. Mom was having some complications and the medical staff were trying to allow the baby some more time before delivery. The little guy couldn’t wait any longer, so on May 15th he was born. The parents were working on improving their lives and felt that their son would benefit from an adoptive family that was more stable than they were. On picking a family, they wanted to provide this opportunity to one of our longest waiting families. The baby spent a great deal of time in the NICU, but through that whole time, the adoptive parents were able to come and start bonding. Finally on June 20th, he was able to go home with his forever family. The birth parents continue getting emotional support from Leticia.
The weekend of June 10th, Betty received a call from PIH in Whittier. A teen birth mother had requested our services for making an adoption plan for her newborn son. She came from a very conservative family, so she hid her pregnancy from her parents. Her sister was there to offer her support, but she was very grateful for the information and support that Betty provided her. In picking a family, she decided to go with one of our longest wait list families who was over the moon to be picked.
All of the adoptive families and the babies are doing well and we thank all of you for your support so that we can continue to support and educate families in Southern California about adoption and foster care.
Yours,
Julie Brown,
HFS Executive Director
