A Birth Mother With No Regrets | How to Place Your Child in a Healthy Situation

Today we interview Shannon Shepherd, a birth mother and friend of Sarah’s. She talks about her experience placing her child in an open adoption. We talk about the nuances of open adoption and how that term can mean different things for each person. We discuss bonding between adopted parents and child, and how uncommon adoption is compared to abortion, despite the fact that adoption does not come with the same regret. We also talk about topics such as dealing with stigma and disappointment, as well as how to contribute to a healthy situation for both families. Shannon tells more of her story of how she came to her decision, including how she worked through counseling and sought legal advice. We also talk about Shannon’s experience with birth and postpartum after deciding to place her child. -Shannon’s Decision; Using Correct Terms; Open Adoption; Regret 0:31-Stigma; Future Pregnancies; Bonding; Disappointment; Doing What’s Best 10:36-More on Bonding; Contributing to a Healthy Situation; Open Discussions 22:38-Counseling and Seeking Legal Help; Choosing Adoption, Adoption Process; Birth and Postpartum 28:59“To me I’ve learned in my 39 years of life that we just need to get into our own hearts and our own minds and our own intentions, and just let the universe work itself out if people judge us for what we did.” 11:49