Open Adoption Project

Are you more of an oversharer or an undersharer? In this episode we talk about our first year as adoptive parents and some of our experiences as we learned about oversharing and undersharing when others asked questions about our daughter’s adoption. We also discuss what you can expect at court when finalizing your adoption, and how we started telling our daughter her own adoption story.

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In this episode we interview Keri, our daughter’s birth mother, about her experiences with placing her baby for adoption in 2011 and the healing process since then. She also shares her advice for expectant parents and prospective adoptive families on how to navigate a positive open adoption.

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In this episode we discuss bonding with our newly adopted babies, struggles with post-adoption depression, and using adoption language that empowers adoptees.

For more information about post-adoption depression, you can visit: https://www.postpartumdepression.org/postpartum-depression/adoption/

For more information about adoption language check out: http://ee.umc.org/what-we-believe/positive-adoption-language-examples-and-resources

Also check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeT3c9TmxLE

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In this episode we discuss the challenging aspect of establishing boundaries in open adoption--is there a need to establish boundaries when laying the groundwork for a healthy relationship? And what do healthy boundaries look like in open adoption?

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In this episode we share how our feelings about open adoption evolved as we became friends with expectant parents. We share how we came to understand how open adoption can benefit adoptees as we prepared to adopt our first child, and began working on building our own “village.”

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In this episode we share how adopting children became part of our plans. We also interview our daughter, a 10 year-old adoptee, about her current feelings about adoption.

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Welcome to the Open Adoption Project podcast we are Lanette and Shaun Nelson! This introductory episode gives background on who we are and the story behind this podcast’s creation. We share the purpose of the show and our own connections to adoption. We also share thoughts and tips for listeners to get more from the show and how this podcast has changed our own perspectives and perceptions about adoption.

This podcast is a safe place for anyone in the adoption constellation. We welcome any and all adoptee and birth/first parent perspectives while advocating for adoptee-centered practices.

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Visit our website: OpenAdoptionProject.org

The Openness Guide for Adoptive Parents: What You Should Know About Open Adoption