BraveLove loves connecting birth mothers because we see how important it is for a birth mom to not walk alone during her adoption journey.
Support groups & retreats
This is a guaranteed way to meet other women who have placed a child for adoption. Check out this list of birth parent post-adoption support groups and retreats. We’ve vetted these, but encourage you to check them out too. Every person is different, which is why we’ve created this diverse list. We plan to expand this directory over time with more details and groups in order to provide plenty of resource options for birth parents nationwide.
If you know of a birth parent support group or retreat or online group not listed, email info@bravelove.org. We’d love to learn more about them.
Community events
Check out our calendar of upcoming adoption events across the country. We do our best to update our event calendar, but we can't catch it all. Keep your eyes and ears open for local adoption events in your area. If you find out about any events that are not listed here, let us know!
BraveLove dinners
Every spring and fall, BraveLove hosts birth mom dinners in select cities across the country as a way for birth moms to connect locally. If you're interested in learning more about the dinners, click the button below. If you’re interested in potentially hosting a dinner in your area, contact events@bravelove.org. We'd love to consider you as a future host.
Plan a meet-up
Pick a date and then plan something simple and informal like coffee, ice cream or even meeting at the park. Take a friend for safety reasons and so you don't have to be alone. Use social media to get the word out. Post something as simple as "Any Austin birth moms want to meet for coffee this Saturday? Message me for details."
We're happy to help you get the word out too! Just tell us when and where.
Online
Obviously, this can be the most immediate way to connect with other birth moms. We've seen the internet be a really valuable place to connect. (But we're always a fan of the face-to-face too!) There are a number of different groups and discussion forums out there. Do you have a favorite you'd recommend? Let us know!
Being a Birth Mom
Check out the latest commentaries from our Being a Birth Mom contributors.
Adoption Made Me Who I Am Today - Macy's Story
I placed my son for adoption 9 years ago now. When I first found out that I was pregnant, I was terrified.
Mother's Day For a Birth Mom
The sun beat me home tonight. As I trudged up the subway stairs and saw the sunrise, I knew it was much too late of a night.
Especially with church in the morning. A lady neighbor of mine and her sister, holding a cake, were also walking into my building. She said, "Happy Mother's Day, if you're a mom!" And I said, "Thank you. I appreciate that."
The smallest interaction, even from a stranger, can mean more than you realize. Mother's Day is always a tricky one for me. As I imagine it is for any birth mom without children of her own. I always feel like I'm half of a mother. Like I almost don't deserve this holiday.
Miranda 4 Years Later
At BraveLove, we're dedicated to erasing the stigmas of adoption, and a big part of that involves sharing stories that honor birth mothers. As we all know, adoption impacts people forever. The journey isn't over after the decision has been made. That's why we love to stay connected with those who have shared their stories with BraveLove over the years, like Miranda.
Miranda placed her daughter for adoption four years ago. She shared her story with BraveLove shortly after she placed (see here). Today we're catching up with her to see what life looks like four years later.
How would you describe yourself today?
I am in a really good place with lots of support.
What do your days look like?
I get up at 5am spend an hour with God, trying to give my day to God. I wake up my three children at 6am. (Tristin 10, Candon 8 and Raelynn 6) They get ready for school while my husband and I get ready for work. We send the kids off to the bus, and we head to work. I work at Cigna where I spend 8 hours of my day on the phone. At 4 pm I go home make dinner with my husband and help with homework and then get kids showered and in bed by 8pm.
All the Hard Parts Are Worth It — Nicole's Story
I grew up in McKinney, Texas and I am a birth mom. I first found out I was pregnant the day before my mom was to leave to Delaware forever. Scared was an understatement, seeing as how she's my only support system.
I immediately called my friend, who also placed a baby girl for adoption eleven years ago. I called her because I knew she could give me advice about ALL options and not just one. I did know that I already loved my baby more than anything else in the world, so every decision made from that point on was made completely out of love. I was twenty-one years old with nothing or no one to support me. So, I chose to place my child for adoption.
Adoption has a stigma behind it; I am not that stigma — Erika's Story
23 years, 5 months, 14 days, 19 hours, 57 minutes and 59 seconds ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was perfect but he wasn’t exactly mine. We made the most difficult, unselfish and brave decision of handing him over to his forever family. The heartbreak, pain and agony are very real. The kind of real that hurts your heart for the rest of your life.
Theresa's Story: A Timeline of Events
My first contact with My Heather in Jan 2018:
Heather,
My name is Theresa. In July of 1985, I placed a beautiful baby girl that was born in Indianapolis up for adoption. I have been looking for her for several years and praying that God would cross our paths. In October of this past year, I received a surprising message from her father, Tony S. We have been in contact with each other and in December he and his wife did a 23 & Me DNA test (as his wife is looking for her parents). He contacted me this evening saying that your name showed up on his list of relatives. As you can imagine, he and I are anxious/excited to reach out to you to see if maybe you are that baby girl. All we have known was her adoptive parents named her Heather Lynn, and we are not even sure that she knows that she was adopted. If you happen to be this Heather, please know we are in no way trying to disrupt your life. We are only looking to meet her someday. Please feel free to message me, text me or call me with any questions you may have. Thank you.
Cathy | A Birth Mom from Texas
One word to describe how you felt the moment you discovered you were pregnant?
Ashamed
Why did you choose adoption?
I knew I would not be able to provide for my child what a mother and father together would be able to.
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Please fill out the form in as much detail as you feel comfortable with — giving us a little bit more information about yourself will help us tailor our communications and better understand why BraveLove is important to you. Plus, we love hearing from birth moms and would be honored to have you more involved with the work we’re doing.
And, as a token of our appreciation for your support of BraveLove, we have a little gift we want to mail you. So, please be sure to fill out your address — we promise we won’t share this information with anyone else.
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We have a special gift, just for you.
Fill out the form below to stay up to date with the latest news, resources, and events just for Birth Moms.
Please fill out the form in as much detail as you feel comfortable with — giving us a little bit more information about yourself will help us tailor our communications and better understand why BraveLove is important to you. Plus, we love hearing from birth moms and would be honored to have you more involved with the work we’re doing.
And, as a token of our appreciation for your support of BraveLove, we have a little gift we want to mail you. So, please be sure to fill out your address — we promise we won’t share this information with anyone else.
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