Catholic Charities of East Tennessee recently had the sacred honor of placing a perfect baby boy with a family who began their adoption journey more than three years ago.
This particular placement was a closed adoption based on the birth mother’s wishes, so many of the details cannot be shared, but from start to finish, the LORD has had His hand on the process. The adoptive family had originally attempted to adopt a little boy born in October of 2020, but that placement did not occur, and their hearts were broken.
It took much bravery for them to step back into the arena of adoption, but their desire to love and provide for a child helped them overcome previous obstacles and heartbreak. We are so thankful, because in October of 2023, a beautiful baby boy was placed in their arms.
CCETN received the text at 8:00pm on October 25 that the birth mom was heading to the hospital for her induction. We were surprised when we received an update at 7:30am that she was already 7cm. I contacted our birth parent specialist to let her know we would be going straight to the hospital that morning because things were progressing much quicker than expected.
Once we arrived, we checked in with the nurses and spoke to the charge nurse. She was already aware of the situation with the adoption thanks to the wonderful social worker at the hospital who ensured all our communications with her reached the necessary parties. We found out that the adoptive family would be able to have a room of their own to be able to stay at the hospital and care for the baby — such an answered prayer!
The next few hours were spent waiting. The birth mother’s support person did an amazing job sending text updates to us, and we made sure the adoptive family was in the loop. The nurses executed the birth mother’s Hospital Plan flawlessly. At 4:44 p.m., our sweet baby boy made his arrival! By 7:30 p.m., he was being cuddled by his mom and dad while a photographer captured their first moments together.
We could not have asked for a more seamless process, and that is no doubt because of the many hours of work and prayer put into the situation before this day arrived. Our team spent many hours with the expectant mother explaining the process and ensuring that she understood her rights.
As a licensed child placing agency in the State of Tennessee, it is our job to make sure all the details are handled from start to finish. From the moment an expectant mother reaches out to us, we want her to know that her wishes and wellbeing are of the utmost importance to us. Whether she chooses to be a parent or completes an adoption plan for her child, we want her to know she has rights along the way. It is our highest priority that she and her child are well cared for whether it is insurance, prenatal care, housing, counseling, or any other health and pregnancy related needs.
As an agency, there are so many things that we want the birth family and adoptive family to know. It isn’t transactional to facilitate an adoption; it is transformational for all parties involved, including us. As we watch each member in the dance of give and take, we are reminded of the depth of love that is flowing from all sides. We think about the families constantly, and we want nothing more than for their lives to be blessed and improved according to each of their needs.
We pour our hearts into the lives of those we serve, but ultimately it is God who places children in families. From start to finish, each step reveals His divine sovereignty in the lives of the child, the birth family, and the adoptive family, and we are blessed to have a seat to witness it all.
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