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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?

Support the show

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.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

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• Resource pages on all aspects of family building