I started to attend a birth mother support group at Nebraska Children’s Home and my mom attended that with me
“I started to attend a birth mother support group at Nebraska Children’s Home and my mom attended that with me. That was very healing to be around other birth moms that were going through the exact same thing. It was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone and that there was always someone to talk to and somebody to relate to me.”
I wanted to be a part of her life, but I also wanted to go to school
“The reason I placed my child for adoption was because I wanted to be a part of her life, but I also wanted to go to school, I wanted to have time with my friends, and I want to be a teenager.”
We had no idea what we were going to do
“I was dating a guy and told him I was pregnant and we broke up right away. I didn’t tell my parents until I was seven months. We had no idea what we were going to do, so me and my parents called Nebraska Children’s Home.”
The hardest phone call I ever made
“I got pregnant when I was 17 and I never told my parents…they kind of found out. They didn’t take it very well and they kept asking me what I was going to do. I didn’t know so I just didn’t deal with the fact that I was pregnant for a long time. Finally I called a NCHS caseworker one morning when I was late for school and it was the hardest phone call I ever made because I was actually being truthful with myself.”
Because I was adopted when I was younger
“Because I was adopted when I was younger, I chose adoption because I knew I wasn’t emotionally or financially ready for a baby. It was a hard decision and it still is hard, but I know it was the right decision.”
It wasn’t like she was judging me at all, which surprised me since everyone else was judging me
“It was my mom that suggested calling Nebraska Children’s Home. I worked with Teri and she was so kind and so understanding. It wasn’t like she was judging me at all, which surprised me since everyone else was judging me. She was great.”
I don’t think I would do it any other way
“I don’t think I would do it any other way. I have absolutely no regrets about anything.”
I don’t think there is anything that I would do different
“I don’t think there is anything that I would do different…and I feel so satisfied and so confident about my decision that there’s just nothing I would change at all.”
She was there to help…to give us advice…to lead us down the right path
“With the Nebraska Children’s Home, I just assumed that I would have to go and place my child for adoption, which when I first talked to the caseworker she explained that was not what she was there for. She was there to help…to give us advice…to lead us down the right path. If I wanted to parent she would help figure out budgets, if I wanted to choose adoption, we would explore the routes of that.”
I was scared and I didn’t know what to do
“I was 15-years-old in my sophomore year of high school when I found out I was pregnant. I was scared and I didn’t know what to do. I told my sister and my parents and they weren’t as mad as I thought they would be. We had no idea what to do so we contacted the Nebraska Children’s Home for assistance.”
There to help…to give us advice…to lead us down the right path
“With the Nebraska Children’s Home, I just assumed that I would have to go and place my child for adoption, which when I first talked to the caseworker she explained that was not what she was there for. She was there to help…to give us advice…to lead us down the right path. If I wanted to parent she would help figure out budgets, if I wanted to choose adoption, we would explore the routes of that.”
These activities are carried out through a contract with the State of Nebraska, Department of Health and Human Services AA/ADA/EOE
© 2011 Nebraska Children’s Home Society. All Rights Reserved
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