Tuesday, November 24, 2009

My Story,

Since it's finally open news to all my family and my close friends I have decided to finally tell my story of getting pregnant and giving my son up for adoption. I know many people do not follow my blog or read it at all but I feel that just getting some stuff out will really help me cope with everything...

At the end of February 09 I started have a feeling that I was pregnant. I was dating Josh who, at the time, I thought was going to be the person I would spend the rest of my life with. I knew that we had our issues but I just figured we could work through them. When I finally told him that I thought I might be pregnant he said, "If you are then you are, we can't really do anything about it." He started acting weird and going out to the bars all the time. I finally took a pregnancy test and it confirmed my suspisions. That is when things got a little blurry for me. I found out Josh was cheating on me and knew that I wasn't going to deal with that even though I was pregnant with his child. He told me that I should just get an abortion and that was that.

I had to start really putting my life into perspective and figure out what I wanted to do with my situation. I hadn't told my parents and I had only told a few of my friends. I knew that I wasn't going to do abortion. It's just not something that I could ever live with, knowing that I killed my baby, something that was a part of me. I hadn't even thought of the aspect of adoption...it's not something that I think jumps out in the minds of many people. I went to the free pregnancy testing clinic in town so that I could get a confirmation from them and start going to the doctor. This is when I found out that I had gotten pregnant in January, while on my birthcontrol...and no I was not taking any antibiotics! So that only 99.9% accuracy is true...it's not 100% full proof.

I finally decided on adoption. It was the only thing I could think of that would be right for my baby. If I kept him then he would grow up without a father in his life until sometime down the road I found a man who would care about me and my baby. I don't want to live my life looking for a father for my child so my only other option was to give him up for adoption.

Telling my parents was the hardest thing ever! I knew that they were going to freak out about it and I knew that it wasn't going to be a good reaction. One of my friends went with me so that I wouldn't be alone. It didn't go over well at all. They didn't understand why I wouldn't do abortion and they said that there was no way that I could keep him so my only option would be adoption. I had already decided that, but it still hurt having them be so unsupportive.

I started going to the doctor and meeting with the adoption agency and finally in July I got to pick out the family that I wanted to adopt my baby boy. I got to tell them things that I really wanted from a family and then they found the families that matched that the closest. I had three books to look through and after I looked through the very first book I had a strong feeling that they were the ones that I was meant to choose. They were very family oriented, they had been together for 10 years, married for 7, they had 2 dogs and a cat that you could tell they love them to death! They are both teachers, they are huge KSU fans (big plus), and you could tell they really love each other. So I picked them out.

When we met with them the first time it was just amazing. They were so laid back and wonderful. We hit it off and we couldn't stop talking! I knew right then and there that I had picked the perfect family for my little boy. After our second meeting it just confirmed it even more. They also told me then that they were planning on naming him Ashden John...what a perfect name.

I made sure to call them and tell them how each of my doctors visits were going. All the way up to the doctors visit that sent me into the hospital.

It was Tuesday October 20th and Ashden hadn't been moving around as much as he normally did so I started to get really worried. I decided to head to my doctors office to have them check him out and make sure everything was ok. They found out that my blood pressure was very high and that worried my doctor. She sent me to the hospital to get hooked up to a fetal monitor there and to have my blood pressure taken. After two hours my doctor decided to break my water (9:00 pm). At 11:00 pm they started to push petocine (sp) hoping to accelerate my labor. It was very VERY painful. But I stuck it out until 2:00 am on the 21st of October before I finally told them they needed to get me the epidural. LOL. I was only dialated to a 4 and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep without it. I got a little bit of sleep that morning but woke up at 6:00 am just waiting. I was so sick to my stomach it wasn't even funny. Blah, to many medications if I might say so myself! I started pushing at 8:00 am and by 9:21 on October 21st Ashden John made his apperence into the world at 8 lbs and 20.5 inches long.

I had said that I didnt' want to hold him after he was born but I changed my mind immediatly and I held him. He was beautiful and perfect! I remember thinking, "He has Josh's nose!" and then, "I know that I am doing the right thing for that wonderful couple waiting out in the hall way!"

I never changed my mind on the whole thing. I knew that my best option was adoption, I knew that B and T were going to be the best parents for him, and I knew that I was still going to be able to see him and have contact with them.

Our agreement was for them to send pictures every 3 months for the first year and then every 6 months after that. We will also have a visitation once a year. I hadn't thought about phone contact but T has already called me once and she has also sent me a text message with a picture of him. I'm so glad that we are so open with each other because it is making things a little easier to deal with. Every time I hear from them I know that my choice was completely right!

I will leave you with some pictures today, but I imagine that I'll be back again soon to get some of my feelings out!

2 comments:

Susan said...

Thanks for your story! It sounds like you definitely made the right choice but it doesn't make it an easy choice. Let me know if you need anything or want to talk.

I heard Turkey Day was fun. I was sorry to have missed it but grateful I didn't have to spend 10 hours in the car with these two wild Indians.

Amy Hutton said...

Deanna,

I am so glad that you were given the link to my blog, and I'm so glad that I found the link to yours! Wow, congrats on the birth of your son and for being able to share your experience with open adoption. This all must seem so new for you. I remember what that was like for me, the weeks after Deanna was born, and that was the most difficult time for me. When I read your kind comment on my blog, I was reminded of why I started blogging in the first place--to help others going through the same experience I had. While this time may seem so incredibly difficult, it does get better with time, prayer, and through helping others. Bravo for starting a blog and for sharing YOUR story. Hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to reading more about your experience soon!!! Remember, as birthmoms, we are all in this together. :)

P.S. I LOVE your name! How funny a coincidence is that?

Amy Hutton