6 weeks ago we got a call about a baby girl in NICU. She was 2 weeks old and she'd had 2 seizures subsequent to birth and after two MRIs, the doctors diagnosed her with severe brain damage, with possible blindness and deafness in her future. Birth mom, grandma and aunt left her at the hospital. We said no and she went to foster care.
This afternoon we got another call. Baby boy was born this morning at 10 am. By 6 pm he was taken to NICU for heroin withdrawal. Birth mom left him, promising to come back on Sunday to make an adoption plan. She's from out of town and is clearly an addict. Baby is alone in NICU, going through heroin withdrawal by himself. I feel like this baby is headed to foster care too unless birth mom comes back to sign papers, which seems unlikely.
We're considering revising our desired child checklist. Being open to anything for adoption #1 brought Moonbeam to us. But there are clearly some really rough situations that exist. Not sure how many more calls like this we can take.
Damn those are tough phone calls. They tear at one's heart and make you want to shake the people who left these kids.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a very strong person with unusual resources to thrive raising kids from these situations. Hence its not a path anyone should embark on unless they truly believe it is the right one for them.
Hang in there.
I remember those days...I had one too. :( This does allow for you to define your boundaries and comfort level...and that's really important. Foster care can mean love and acceptance too. Try to let go of the guilt of saying 'no' (if you're feeling this) and just use this as a moment to be clear where you two stand. That is a-ok. Hugs! All part of the tough journey!!! Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteTough tough situations for all involved. Good luck with your decision-making.
ReplyDeleteThat is heartbreaking! Probably a good idea to revise the checklist as your situation is different now as with sweet #1. Good luck and hope you get the right call soon xxx
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine. It breaks my heart that people do this to innocent babies and then just abandon them.
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