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Destined for Motherhood: A Story of Adoption and Surrogacy [S5E1]

ADOPTION NOW

Release Date: 03/07/2019

Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption: Rita Soronen, President and CEO, Speaks on Foster Care and Adoption [S7E16] show art Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption: Rita Soronen, President and CEO, Speaks on Foster Care and Adoption [S7E16]

ADOPTION NOW

President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has joined ADOPTION NOW for an incredible interview. Rita Soronen has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children for more than 30 years.  As the leader of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, her mission is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care. They are working hard to find permanent families for the more than 140,000 waiting children in the United States foster care system. The non-profit was inspired by Dave Thomas, the founder...

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Grateful Adoptee: Author Sarah D. Shearer Shares Her Adoption Story From Russia [S7E15] show art Grateful Adoptee: Author Sarah D. Shearer Shares Her Adoption Story From Russia [S7E15]

ADOPTION NOW

Author Sarah D. Shearer joins ADOPTION NOW to talk about her adoption story.  In her words, her story started off with little hope, “I was born with various medical needs and was left in a Russian hospital where nuns helped to keep me alive until I was transferred to an orphanage.” The Russian orphanage was convinced that no one would want her, but a family in Thomasville, GA saw her picture and fell in love. This is an uplifting story filled with gratitude and grace towards adoption. Sarah has written a memoir called “Extra Ordinary” to share her positive perspective. She...

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Ready, Set, Adoption Part 2: The J Family Continues Their Adoption Journey [S7E14] show art Ready, Set, Adoption Part 2: The J Family Continues Their Adoption Journey [S7E14]

ADOPTION NOW

PART 2!! As we heard on the last episode, Jacob and Jessica already had 2 biological children when they adopted a baby boy while being filmed on the Oxygen show “I am Having Their Baby.” The family of 5 soon became a family of 6, as they went on to adopt a little boy with clubfoot. On this week’s episode Jessica shares how their journey was not over after 2 adoptions! As they waited on the agency’s adoption list, a situation came up that involved drug exposure to the unborn baby. The couple had to make a quick decision if they wanted to keep moving forward and say yes. Listen to...

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Ready, Set, Adoption: As Cameras Rolled, Jessica and Jacob Started Their Adoption Journey [S7E13] show art Ready, Set, Adoption: As Cameras Rolled, Jessica and Jacob Started Their Adoption Journey [S7E13]

ADOPTION NOW

As cameras rolled, Jessica and Jacob started their adoption journey on the Oxygen show “I’m Having Their Baby.” On this episode, Jessica talks to us about the experience of adopting while being filmed on a TV show (as if the hospital time isn’t stressful enough)! They had 2 biological children when they started the process, and as you will hear, they just kept saying yes to situations. This is part 1 of 2 episodes on how they became a family of 8!

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Joyfully Hard: Megan Shares Her Story on Adopting from Haiti [S7E12] show art Joyfully Hard: Megan Shares Her Story on Adopting from Haiti [S7E12]

ADOPTION NOW

Kurt and Megan were married and had 2 sons when they went on a mission trip to Haiti. God began to stir in their hearts a call to adopt. This is a story about surrendering to God’s plan and being obedient to taking the next steps. They knew that if they did not pursue adoption, they would miss out on what God had planned for them. The process was not easy but eventually they brought home a 4-year-old little girl named Esther. They were all so excited but as time went on, they learned about trauma and grief in children. In this episode we hear from Megan about the joy and chaos of learning to...

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ADOPTION NOW Update: Noah and April Share About Their Family, New Website and What is Next! [S7E11] show art ADOPTION NOW Update: Noah and April Share About Their Family, New Website and What is Next! [S7E11]

ADOPTION NOW

Noah joins April on this episode to talk about so many things…like the new ! They update us on how the kids are doing and share what is next for ADOPTION NOW. You do not want to miss this candid conversation the two of them have about life as a multicultural adoptive family.

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Debt Free Adoption: Jessica Ross from Ramsey Solutions Shares Her Story [S7E10] show art Debt Free Adoption: Jessica Ross from Ramsey Solutions Shares Her Story [S7E10]

ADOPTION NOW

 Our guest on this episode comes to us from Tennessee and works for Ramsey Solutions. Jessica Ross tells us what Dave would say about adoption and debt! She and her husband said yes to adopting a baby and had no idea how expensive the attorney would be. As she shares her story on bringing home Gabby, it turns out money was not going to be the hardest part of the journey. Her story was featured on The Ramsey Show, you can watch  We loved having Jessica on the show talking about what giving back looks like, and how we can support other families financially as they walk through...

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Hushabye Nursery: Tara Sundem Shares Her Journey to Help Babies During Withdrawal [S7E9] show art Hushabye Nursery: Tara Sundem Shares Her Journey to Help Babies During Withdrawal [S7E9]

ADOPTION NOW

Do you know someone who is adopting a baby that has been exposed to drug use in utero? Are you an adoptive or foster parent that has jumped into a world that you have no idea about? What does a detoxing baby need? This interview is so important to the adoption community and will answer those questions. Tara Sundem is a neonatal nurse that has opened a recovery center for newborns going through the withdrawal process. works with families to give short-term care to infants that are detoxing. They provide training and support to the caregivers or parents that are walking through this...

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Don't Give Up: Sharon Broxton Shares Her Adoption Story From Georgia [S7E7] show art Don't Give Up: Sharon Broxton Shares Her Adoption Story From Georgia [S7E7]

ADOPTION NOW

Have you ever gone through loss on your journey to become a parent? Have you lost a baby or had an adoption fall through? Does it seem like the waiting to bring home your child is lasting FOREVER? This episode is for you. Sharon Broxton is the host of the Unwanted Sisterhood Podcast a place for women to share their experiences with infertility and struggles to become a mother. On this episode Sharon opens up about her own journey with infertility, a stillborn birth, and one disrupted match. Though she was tired, she never gave up and in November 2022 her family finalized on their new baby...

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Dominican Republic Adoption: Abby Shares Her Adoption Story [S7E8] show art Dominican Republic Adoption: Abby Shares Her Adoption Story [S7E8]

ADOPTION NOW

What does it take to adopt from the Dominican Republic? Abby, a Midwest mother and teacher, shares her adoption story to bring home her 2nd daughter from the Dominican. After they signed with an agency to do a new DR adoption program, they were matched to a little girl. The family traveled with their biological daughter and stayed in country for 135 days! Although it was not easy, they were grateful for the time they had together, getting used to being a family for 4. On this episode, we talk about how often the adoption journey pulls you out of your comfort zone and into an adventure....

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More Episodes

As always, ADOPTION NOW focuses on the many powerful stories centered around adoption and foster care. This episode also includes a topic April Fallon is new to, the topic of surrogacy. Dr. Claire Dumke tells us the story of her two daughters, Ruby and Hazel, and how she pursued both adoption and surrogacy at the same time. As a result of this, her two daughters were born 8 months apart!

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The episode focuses on the many joys that were felt throughout her experience, but also on the challenging aspects. And in addition, surrogacy is explained: the price, what to expect, regulations, details on medication, and so forth.

Below are four of the most crucial aspects of this episode ranging from surrogacy in a nutshell, transracial adoption, the importance of agencies and the selection process for adoption, as well as the relational interplay between biological and adoptive mothers.

[#1 What to Expect When your Surrogate is Expecting]

  • As was the case with Dr. Claire, surrogacy may be an option for a family if they have embryos either through IVF but cannot personally carry them to full term.
  • It is very expensive! Dr. Claire mentions that the price was in the six-figure range at least. But as always, no amount of money is too much for the wonderful gift of life.
  • Dr. Claire also discusses and warns of the emotional distress that can occur for surrogates after they give birth. Counseling is a very powerful tool for this common circumstance and Dr. Claire highly recommends that the biological family is prepared to provide this resource.

[#2 Transracial Open Adoption ]

  • Ruby--Dr. Claire’s first daughter and who was adopted through an open agreement with her  African American birth mother--didn’t make Claire nervous in the slightest at the dynamic. Although she does talk about how nervous she was to meet the extended family of the biological mother, she stresses just how beautiful and wonderful Ruby is.
  • The concept of providing racial mirrors for Ruby is brought up as well, meaning that considerable attention to positive reinforcement of Ruby’s racial identity is a large focal point in their family.
  • And through Claire’s relationship with Ruby’s biological mother and her extended family, Ruby has that much more reinforcement.

[#3 Agencies and The Adoption Selection Process ]

  • When talking about how expectant  mothers choose adoptive parents for their child, the best advice is, “Be yourself!” As April states; you never know just what detail will stand out and speak to a birth mother in the midst of her choice. And like it is discussed within the episode, the difference between you being chosen or not could have to do with if you have a golden retriever or not; be yourself!
  • Agencies are very important for introducing you to a bigger pool of possibilities for being matched with a child. And the multi-state agencies also give you a higher probability to be selected faster due to more choices. The Adoption Choices of Colorado was the agency Dr. Claire used. She and  her husband were pleasantly surprised to find themselves in Texas for Ruby after just two short months of waiting.

[#4 Relationship Dynamics Between Surrogates, Biological Mothers, and Adoptive Parents ]

  • There is a fair amount of discussion on the interactions between adoptive parents, the birth mother and a surrogate mother. There can be a lot of grief after placement, so counseling and sensitivity towards that issue are imperative.
  • As Dr. Claire states during the episode, what words are there to express to a birth mother or surrogate mother besides gratitude, gratitude, and more gratitude!
  • In addition, the whole process has strengthened the bond between Dr. Claire and her husband.

More details at: https://adoptionnow.com/podcast/destined-for-motherhood-a-story-of-adoption-and-surrogacy

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ADOPTION NOW is produced and distributed by Simpler Media