First a note from BirthMom Buds: Although you may be planning to place your child in an adoption agreement, you are not actually a birth mom, until you sign relinquishment papers. You are a good mother preparing for her child's future.We are not trying to dissuade your decision in anyway. We are trying to simply give you an honest look at some things that we did NOT expect. For more support, be sure to join our special birthmom "buddy system" for women intending to place.(See bottom of page for more details.)

What to expect when you are Expecting to be a birthmom...
**Expect mixed emotions and grief.
As if pregnancy hormones are not enough, you will experience so many other emotions on this journey. You will experience the ups and downs of pregnancy coupled with the fact that you are entrusting your child with another family. And after your child is born, you will experience grief and sadness.
**Expect rude comments.
Not everyone understands adoption so you will hear comments occasionally that make you cringe! You will quickly learn to develop thick skin.
**Expect that not everyone will agree with you.
Everyone has their own opinions and they will happily share them with you and they will not always agree with your decision. Just remember what it is, YOUR DECISION.
**Expect to always remember that you did the best thing for your child.
It takes a strong woman to make this decision and you are making it for the best interests of your child. You will always know this and continue to remember it when things get tough.
**Expect to actively participate in writing your adoption plan.You can actively participate in writing you child's adoption plan by selecting a family, choosing to meet them or not, to have them present during labor and delivery, and specifying the amounts of contact that you want over the years with your birth child and adoptive family.
**Expect to answer questions that will "sting."Be prepared to answer questions such as, "will your breastfeed or bottle feed." As well as questions in the future, regarding how many children you have or how many pregnancies you have had.