Research

Birth Parent Experiences

Adoption has impacted millions of lives. Listening to and learning from those who have walked this journey personally is an important catalyst towards improving experiences and outcomes for all involved. This is the “why” behind our research.

Two women sit on a couch, looking at a photo album together. Both are wearing denim jackets. The photo is in black and white.

About the report

BraveLove, in partnership with the National Council for Adoption and the Opt Institute, conducted focus groups with birth mothers and completed a nationwide survey of birth parents in order to explore their experiences with adoption.

The goal of this research was to understand this population better and gain meaningful insights that can inform the development and implementation of programs and services to the expectant and birth parent community.

Black and white photo of a person with hospital wristbands hugging another person, holding a tissue and crying in a hospital room.

We heard from over 1400 birth parents, and the results outlined in the report answer key questions such as:

Why do birth parents choose to place their children for adoption?

What factors contribute the most to long-term satisfaction with an adoption decision?

How have the experiences of birth parents changed over time?

What is most helpful to an expectant parent or birth parent considering adoption?

Two women, seen from the back, cradle a newborn baby swaddled in a blanket in a softly lit corridor.

Read Research Reports

Profiles in Adoption Birth Parent Experiences

Highlights from the report

“If love were enough, that would be awesome. I think many of us would probably still have our children and be parenting them with love [if love] were enough. But it’s not. You need resources.”
- A focus group participant

“We did not place our children for any neglectful reason. We’re not neglecting duties or our child or our culture. We love our children and we did what we know is best for our child. And it was not done out of neglect.”
- A focus group participant

“…about nine months after I had placed [my child] for adoption, meeting other birth mothers and parents was really where some genuine deep healing began for me because it was validating. And just to have a sense of community was also nice and hopeful because I see these other people who have functional open adoption relationships…even though they’re not perfect, you know. Even though things aren’t always wonderful and great, they’re still there and they’re still working on it, and it’s a good experience for everyone involved for all three parties. And so that gave me a lot of hope as well.”
- A focus group participant

Learn more About

Satisfaction, Stigmas & Support

Find out what factors contribute the most to birth parent satisfaction. Where are the sources of support during decision-making? Where are the sources of stigma?

Too often, birth parents lack the support from others before, during, and after a placement. This lack of support makes it difficult for birth parents to share their adoption experiences and perpetuates the cycle of stigma by not allowing the broader community to hear or learn from the breadth of birth parents’ experiences.

Read report takeaways

Next Steps

Are you a birth mom looking for post-adoption support and connection?

Visit this page Just For Birth Moms.

Do you serve expectant parents?

If so, we want to connect with you.

What’s involved to share your story with BraveLove?

Learn more here.

Looking for more current adoption research?

Discover NCFA’s ongoing research study called Profiles in Adoption.

Acknowledgements

This was a joint research project by

The Opt Institute provided a grant to fund this research. They are a national research foundation and think tank dedicated to improving access to and support for private adoption. For more information, please visit www.optinstitute.org.

Contact Us

What did you learn? Whether you’re a birth parent, adoption professional, or just generally interested in this cause, we’d love to hear from you.

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