Prospective Adoptive Family Resources

RESOLVE offers free support groups in more than 200 communities. Their mission is to “ensure that all people challenged in their family building journey reach resolution through being empowered by knowledge, supported by community, united by advocacy, and inspired to act.”

www.resolve.org/support/find-a-support-group

“Patiently Waiting was established to provide encouragement, education, and resources for those walking the journey of infertility, adoption and foster care.” Their mission is to “share resources, information and provide biblical support for those going through the journey of infertility, adoption and miscarriage.” They offer one-on-one infertility support.

www.patientlywaiting.org

The Twin Cities’ North Suburban Grief Support Coalition sponsors the “Growing Through Loss” series twice yearly, providing an opportunity for individuals to obtain information and support for a variety of loss and grief issues. Phone: 763-755-5335.

www.growingthroughloss.org

Missing GRACE Foundation’s mission is to provide support, resources and education for families and professional care provides when there is loss of a baby, infertility or adoption challenges. They offer phone, online, and in-person support, grief support meetings, bereavement resources which include the GRACE Care Baskets and GRACE Care Totes, memorial events, and education for care professionals and the public. Phone: 763-497-0709

www.missinggrace.org

Pregnancy & Postpartum Support Minnesota (PPSM) is the voice for mental health during and after pregnancy. They offer a list of pregnancy and infant loss resources on their website.

www.ppsupportmn.org/pregnancyinfantloss

The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) offers a guide to adoption after infertility which includes trainings, personal stories from others who have gone though infertility, and other helpful adoption related resources.

www.adoptioncouncil.org/infertility/

“Uniquely Knitted is a nonprofit organization on a mission to heal the traumas of infertility and end the isolation that goes with struggling to conceive. We do that by providing affordable Mental Health services to people with infertility” – From their website.

Uniquely Knitted provides Process Groups which include “6 weeks of processing, healing, sharing, and building resilience with a small group of others experiencing infertility.”

While this is not a faith-based resource, it comes highly recommended by a New Life adoptive mom who not only has benefitted from their support but also helps run their groups.

www.uniquelyknitted.org 

“Your place to process, cry, rage, and laugh about all the things infertility makes us feel.” Uniquely Knitted provides those who are experiencing infertility this podcast to show that you are not alone. “This place is your place, a place to validate your feelings and learn how to cope with infertility.”

www.uniquelyknitted.org/infertility-feelings-podcast

• The Whole Life Adoption Book: Realistic Advice for Building a Healthy Adoptive Family by Jayne E. Schooler and Thomas C. Atwood
•  The Adoption Decision: 15 things You Want to Know Before Adopting by Laura Christianson
•  Successful Adoption: A Guidebook for Christian Families by Natalie Nichols Gillespie
• Adopting After Infertility: Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience edited by Marilyn Crawshaw & Rachel Balen

• Adoption is a Family Affair!: What Relatives and Friends Must Know (Revised Edition) by Patricia Irwin Johnston
• In On It: What Adoptive Parents Would Like You to Know About Adoption. A Guide for Relative and Friends by Elizabeth O’Toole

• Empty Womb, Aching Heart: Hope and Help for Those Struggling With Infertility by Marlo Schalesky
• Grieving the Child I Never Knew: A Devotional for Comfort in the Loss of Your Unborn or Newly Born Child by Kathe Wennenberg
• Hannah’s Hope: Seeking God’s Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Adoption Loss by Jennifer Saake
• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered by Lysa TerKeurst
• Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping you Grieve and Cherish Your Child after Pregnancy Loss by Sarah Philpott
• Miscarriage Grief Journal: 48 Journaling Prompts to Process the Loss of a Baby by Rachel J. Floyd
• Not Broken: An Approachable guide to Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss by Lora Shahine
• Resurrection Year: Turing Broken Dreams Into New Beginnings by Sheridan Voysey
• The Miscarriage Map: What to Expect When You Are No Longer Expecting by Dr. Sunita Osborn
• When the Cradle is Empty: Answering Tough Questions About Infertility by John and Sylvia Van Regenmorter
• When Empty Arms Become a Heavy Burden: Encouragement for Couples Facing Infertility by Sandra Glahn and William Cutrer

It can be helpful to talk with others who have gone through the adoption process. If you want to get connected with a family who has previously adopted through New Life Adoptions, contact our Administrative Social Worker to learn more.

info@newlifeadoptionsmn.org or 612-746-5658

Click here to view stories of adoptive families who have adopted through New Life Adoptions.

A number of different local churches offer adoption related support groups. Check to see if your church offers a support group, or reach out to our Administrative Social Worker to see what other churches are offering support.

info@newlifeadoptionsmn.org or 612-746-5658

When thinking about openness, it can be difficult to know what to expect, especially with the unknows of who your potential child’s birth parents may be. Learning more about who birth parents are and why they chose adoption can help you process what openness may look like.

When you think about who a birth parent is, what are some common stereotypes that come to mind?

Most people have an idea of a stereotypical birth parent. Stereotypes can be based on something you have seen before, but they do not give an accurate picture of all birth parents. In our experience birth parents can be very different than who they are assumed to be.

We know each birth parent is unique, and no two adoption stories are alike. Check out these videos to meet several birth parents, and hear their stories and reasons behind why they are not a typical birth parent.

• The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole by Lori Holden and Crystal Hass
• With One Heart: A Guide to Building Relationships between Birth and Adoptive Mothers in Open Adoption by Kristen A. Morton
• Making Room in Our Hearts: Keeping Family Ties through Open Adoption by Micky Duxbury
• The Open Adoption Experience – A Complete Guide for Adoptive and Birth Families by Lois Melina and Sharon Kaplan Roszia
• The Sixteenth Year: An Open Adoption Memoir by Leah Outten