TUESDAY TIP: Breastfeeding

Did you know it is possible to breastfeed an adopted child? It's the suckling of a child that triggers milk production, not an automatic physiological reaction that begins during pregnancy. Hormones present during pregnancy do help the flow of milk and it can be harder for a mother who hasn’t delivered a child, so it may help to use a breast pump before the baby’s arrival to stimulate milk production. It’s amazing what a woman’s body can do! We also work with support counselors that help start the process and breast milk donation programs. 

10 Finalizations !

10 finalizations this week! One family waiting til next round since they are still away in Myrtle Beach!! Big week for ABSA! 

Beat the heat!

It’s hot out there this summer! Did you know babies are more susceptible to heat and dehydration? Make sure to take care of your little ones this summer with these tips from Parents Magazine that will keep them cool all summer long. http://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/making-baby-comfortable-in-summer-heat/

Kristen Chenoweth!

Happy birthday to famous singer and actress, Kristen Chenoweth! The pint-sized beauty was adopted as a baby at 5 weeks old and is a strong advocate for domestic adoption. She’s been quoted as saying, “The average age of a child waiting for adoption is nine, and this is in America. While I appreciate so many people going abroad and adopting, and I understand – it’s like wanting a new puppy – there are so many children here that just need the unconditional love and support of a parent.” 

TUESDAY TIP: Birthmothers

A Baby Step Adoption agrees with the results from The Early Growth and Development Study, the national study of birth parents and adoptive families. This study provides a rare glimpse of the birth family’s choices and attitudes through every stage of the adoption process. When deciding why they chose

adoption, Birthmothers responded, it was “pretty important to very important” that:

 

95% They were able to screen and select the adoptive parents.

84% They were able to talk with, e-mail, or meet potential adoptive parents before the birth.

60% They had access to post-adoption services, like counseling, support groups, and updates from adoptive parents.

47% They received counseling.

26% They were able to talk with other people who had made an adoption plan.

22% The agency or the adoptive family paid for medical care.

 

We agree that these are vital when Birthmothers choose adoption.

SUMMER!

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about spray sunscreen for children. So what’s the bottom line? Consumer Reports recommends not spraying your children with spray sunscreen for a few reasons. Kids are likely to squirm around thus risking breathing in the sunscreen, which can be a lung irritant. Even more disconcerting,some sprays contain titanium dioxide, and if you breathe in those sunscreens it could be a potential cancer risk. So slather a lotion SPF on your little ones and protect them from more than just UV rays!

TUESDAY TIP: Your Adoptive Finance Coach

The cost to adopt is often an adoptive families’ biggest concern. A Baby Step Adoption and Adoption Step, a non-profit, work closely with our families to develop a customized adoption plan that works for them. We have a very active grant program, and many of our adoptive parents qualify for subsidies and employer benefits.  We also recently partnered with financial coach, Kelly Ellison, to help our families to fund their adoptions.  Her “Your Adoptive Finance Coach” program is FREE for all of our clients, and is showing great success in making the cost to adopt much more manageable.

FAITH HILL

Five-time Grammy Award-winner Faith Hill was adopted as an infant in Mississippi and has a very positive attitude about her biological mother. She was quoted in a Good Housekeeping interview as saying, "I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give me what she felt was a better chance." The biological mothers that we work with at A Baby Step Adoption frequently choose adoption for their babies for this very same reason, and it is an honorable, and often times very difficult, choice to make. We celebrate all of the biological mothers whose decision can be the greatest gift to an adoptive family. 

TUESDAY TIP: Top 10 Reasons for choosing A Baby Step Adoption Agency

Top 10 Reasons for choosing A Baby Step Adoption Agency

1. Quickest match time- 67% of our clients match within 6 months.
2. Maximum number of placements and options
3. All services, including legal in one location
4. Free finance coach to lower costs and find grants
5. No waiting list
6. An American Academy Adoption Attorney Director—BBB accredited
7. Wide national outreach program
8. Most diversified national clientele (Same Sex, LGBT, Single parents, traditional families whether married or not, adopt in one hearing)
9. Individualized flat fixed fees—you choose the adoption match that fits your budget and needs
10.  Best customer service from your caring personal caseworker

Come and meet us on July 30, 2014. Sign up on our website Ababystepadoption.com

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

Happy Birthday to America, and Happy Fourth of July to all of our friends! Besides the quintessential BBQs, fireworks and red, white and blue cake we all associate with July 4th celebrations, we encourage you today to talk to your children about the importance of this day in our history. Without our freedom, America would never be the wonderful country we all call home.

LOOKING TO ADOPT ...

Looking to adopt - http://www.ababystepadoption.com/m/  OR call us today! (888)323-6788

TUESDAY TIP: Considering Adoption

If you are unexpectently pregnant and not ready to start a family, or know someone who is, adoption can be a wonderful solution. At A Baby Step Adoption, we understand the concerns biological mothers may experience when deciding to choose adoption. Read our latest blog post that discusses what the biological mothers we work with often worry about the most and how we help them to address these very valid concerns - http://adoptionstep.com/understanding-birth-mothers-concern/

WORLD CUP - ADOPTION and GO USA !

We at ABSA are gearing up - the race to the World Cup is in full swing, and we are rooting for the U.S.A., of course! But an Italian soccer star is really warming our hearts. Antonio Floro Flores, who already is a father of three, was so moved by the story of an infant abandoned on a train near Naples, Italy, that he is actively pursuing the adoption of the child. Bravo Antonio!