I placed my daughter for adoption in 1996 when I was just 17 years old. During my pregnancy, I struggled with my adoption plan, but one look at her perfection, and the doubt was gone! She was perfect and deserved so much more than I was equipped to provide.

Of course, when I think about things for any length of time, I tend to see them in view of adoption. There is no moment in life that I can think of where joy and grief are more present (in an all-out battle, if you will) than during an adoption.

"This wasn’t a moment to be selfish, it was a moment to be realistic about this child’s future." - Shelbi, birth mom, #BraveLove

"As a birth mom, I am forever grateful for my daughter's mother..." - Charity, birth mom, #BraveLove

There are times I need another person in the room to just know. There is something holy about community. To have your people who know you and get you and give you a space to be and think and speak. It’s a lot of ands. There’s not just one benefit but many.

This letter is intended to reach birth mothers who don’t quite understand their emotions yet of a new placement or even an old one.

Hey there, I'm Allie! I am a birth mother, wife, daughter, blogger, manager and dog mom. My favorite nickname I have is "Mama Allie" which was given to me by the most precious little boy I've ever laid eyes on. I placed my son 6 years ago as of December 2017.

My biggest sharing moment came about 22 years ago. A good friend of ours was my OB/GYN (he actually delivered my daughter). I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but I shared my story with him in the hope that if he ever had a patient that needed to hear “another side of a pregnancy story”, I could be helpful.

Let me take you back to December 2016 and finding out I was pregnant, immediately dropping to my knees knowing at 23, parenting two kids on my own already, having a full-time job, and attending college, there was no way I could have another child. I knew at that time adoption was my only option.

"I hope to bring joy, light, love, energy and encouragement wherever I go." - Lori