Anyone who has gone through the process to adopt a baby will tell you that it is a struggle and is often painful to wait.
They likely say things like:
"The hardest thing for me is the waiting for that phone call."
"Every day that passes feels like I have been rejected."
"I think I’m not pretty enough to be chosen, our pictures aren’t good enough."
"It was extremely hard to go through gathering all the paperwork and cleaning our home again preparing for another home study."
"Feels like, what’s the point? We are losing hope that we’ll ever be matched."
Maybe this is you. Even if this isn’t, there may come a time in your adoption journey where this will happen.
You are certainly not alone. It can feel like you are stuck, like the wait will never end - especially if you have already waited while going through infertility.
Here's a fact about infant adoption that you may not know if you're just starting out: NO ONE can tell you how long it's going to take to adopt.
Some people find a match with an expectant mom in a few weeks. Some get the call in a few months. Sometimes it can take a few years.
WHY? Because it takes time and the right connection for your profile to be seen by the right EM and for her to choose you. You never know when that EM will come along who will want to connect with you.
Does that mean you can do nothing but wait, wonder, and go crazy watching your phone? NO.
This is how I think about it. There are two waiting phases :
1. Started waiting. Excited, nervous, waiting for a call phase.
2. HELP! Is this ever gonna happen for us! phase.
There's no specific time when you cross from phase 1 to phase 2 - but you'll know when you do.
In this episode, I share my experience with waiting to adopt. I will explain these two waiting phases AND what you can do when you are stuck in either phase.