I couldn’t believe I was pregnant again. I was only 23 and already had two young children, so I was overwhelmed at the thought of having another baby. Even though I was overwhelmed, my first thought was that I could do it; I could parent this baby myself. However, the more I thought about it, the more I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to provide a stable life for the new baby and both of my other kids. I was honestly completely at a loss for what how to be the best mother to my children.

I had never considered adoption before. I always wrote the idea off by saying I would never be strong enough to go through with it. One day about halfway through my pregnancy, I was at a Pregnancy Lifeline clinic getting proof of pregnancy when one of the women there introduced me to the idea of adoption. She began showing me pictures of families who were waiting to adopt a baby. For whatever reason, those pictures began to change my mind adoption.

After hearing about adoption and seeing some pictures of families, I was introduced to Legacy and began meeting with an options counselor. Even through all our meetings, I still had not completely made up my mind about choosing adoption until I saw a picture of the family I chose. As soon as I saw their profile book, I knew they were the perfect family for my child. I became much more open and excited about the idea of adoption. I started telling my family and friends about what I was doing, because I was so confident in my decision that I didn’t care what anyone was going to say about it. As time went on and my due date got closer, I continued to be blown away by how perfect this family was in my eyes. The mother seemed like she was exactly the type of mom I hope to someday be to my kids.

I felt extremely at peace throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I had so much support from my options counselor; it felt like she was simply my friend. When it was time to meet the family that I had chosen, I was extremely nervous. My counselor helped to calm my fears, and by the end of the meeting I was more convinced than ever that I was making the best decision for my child. I felt such a connection to this family, which gave me hope that everything was going to be okay.

Nothing changed as I went into labor and had my baby. My counselor and the adoptive family were so supportive of me during the whole thing, and I am so grateful for that. While making the adoption plan was probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, I was excited that my daughter was going home with a wonderful family who already loved her so much. My journey with Legacy was an emotional roller coaster, but opening my mind to choosing adoption completely changed my life for the better.