As
part of our ongoing series, ‘Miracles in Adoption,’ in which we introduce you
to some of our incredible families who have adopted with us in the past, we are
excited to share the amazing story of Cole and Heather.
Meet
Cole and Heather from Pittsburgh, PA
Cole and Heather
knew they wanted to start a family, and the couple was ecstatic when Heather
became pregnant in 2012. With no
previous health issues, the couple was blindsided when Heather suffered heart
failure during her pregnancy and was forced to undergo life-saving treatment.
The treatment saved her life, but tragically, they lost their baby. Since her condition may have prevented her
from safely becoming pregnant again, she and her husband, Cole, decided to turn
to adoption and began exploring their adoption options.
As Heather
recovered, they began talking to family about their plans to adopt. Cole’s
mother mentioned she knew Barbara Casey, an American Academy Attorney who
specializes in adoption and runs a successful agency with an office in Reading,
not far from their hometown of Pittsburgh. She suggested contacting A Baby Step
Adoption Agency to learn more about her adoption options. The couple was
intrigued and contacted the agency to learn about what available adoption
situations could work best for them. The
couple signed on with A Baby Step Adoption Agency officially in February 2013,
expecting the process of being matched with a birth mother to take about a
year, which is the norm among most adoption agencies. Heather and Cole couldn’t
have been more wrong. Within a month, the couple was matched with a birth
mother who was almost four months pregnant and due in August, 2013. Their
dreams for a baby of their own were coming to fruition faster than they could
have ever hoped.
One of the
adoption options offered to them was to have an open adoption where the birth
mother and adoptive family maintain contact throughout the pregnancy. Heather
and Cole had the opportunity to experience the special moments of the
pregnancy, receiving sonogram photos and getting regular updates on prenatal
appointments from the birth mother. They got the call she was in labor in
August 2013 and rushed to the hospital where their beautiful daughter was born.
Named Maida for Heather’s
grandmother, they chose the birth mother’s last name to use as her middle name
to make sure she always has a connection to the woman who birthed her. Heather
and Cole were so impressed with how streamlined and seamless their experience
of adoption was with A Baby Step Adoption. Out of all of the available adoption
situations out there, their adoption of their daughter couldn’t have gone more
smoothly.
The couple, who co-own
a natural pet supply store called Petagogy, live in Pittsburgh, PA with little
Maida who turned one this past August and their two dogs.
