Adoption Networkers, Consultants, Educators

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Connections: Adoption Networking, Educators, Consultants: 1-800-892-4523, email: adoptcon@pivot.net Are you
considering...

...adopting a child

Want to adopt? Pregnant?
click here

...placing your child
for adoption

Your answer may be each other.

Adoption Services

Adoptive Parent
Birthmother/
Birthfamily
Post-adoption

Mary's Story

I Want More Info
Contact Me

C o n n e c t i o n s

Adoption Networkers, Consultants, Educators

P.O. Box 1926
Windham, ME 04062
1-800-892-4523
Email: adoptcon@pivot.net

A family. . .

Most of us include children among our fondest hopes and dreams.

But for many you, whether because of age, circumstance, or infertility, giving birth to a child is not an option.

Or, you may be expecting a child, but due to your current circumstances, you will be unable to keep him or her.

Both scenarios can be devastating.

What if...

we told you that your dream of having a family does not have to end because of infertility or other issues

you were offered the experience of other parents who had alsofaced alternatives to having biological children?

What if...

we told you that it was okay not to be ready to be a parent yet?

you could talk to other birthmothers who have placed their children for adoptions ?

Connections Services

Connections Adoption Services (CAS) is a comprehensive program for navigating the adoption process. CAS is not an adoption agency--we are a unique organization geared to offering the services and support most needed by prospective parents and by birthmothers and birthfamilies. CAS's goal is to supply those services often not typically adoption agencies by acting as a networker, educator, and consultant before, during, and after adoption. Connections Adoption Services has identified 3 distinct components to a successful adoption.

1. Adoptive Parent Support

Nationwide networking with agencies and attorneys to find the most suitable and affordable agency for the adoptive parent(s)
Assisting in the development of the birth- mother letter and portfolio, as well as creating a web page on the Internet
Finding a baby/child suitable for the adoptive parent(s) and assisting them through a successful placement
Support, referrals, and resources up to one year or through completion of the adoption process (signed decree of adoption)
Parenting classes
What to expect if you are going to attend the birth (stages of pregnancy/childbirth)
How to care for your newborn (formula types, nursing your adopted baby, feeding schedule, colic, diapering, and belly button issues)
How to deal with a new toddler in the home, addressing both physical and emotional needs
Infant and toddler safety, CPR, and basic first aid

2. Birthmother/Birthfamily Support

Education on the types of adoption, ie: open adoption vs. closed adoption
Assisting the birthmother with professional counseling to help her determine if adoption is the right choice for her
Helping the birthmother find an agency or lawyer she feels comfortable with
Counseling for any birthfamily members, if desired (i.e. birthfather, birthsiblings, and birthgrandparents)
Networking services, such as the birthmother meeting potential adoptive parent(s), through our client base

3. Post-adoption Follow-through

Professional counseling
Information on support groups for both adoptive parents and birthparents
CAS's clients are referred to one of the certified medical or legal professionals in our network for all courses and counseling services.

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Mary's Story

My name is Mary Guiseley. I am a 42-year-old mother of two adopted children. Like many of you, I have struggled through infertility, not once, but twice. I know well the heartbreak and physical pain of the process. In 1992, my husband and I decided adoption was our answer, and in August 1992, our daughter Jackie was born-- with my husband at the delivery. Just after her birth, with a good comfort level, we totally opened the adoption with Amy, Jackie's birthmother.

Then, in October of 1994, after going through 18 more months of unsuccessful fertility treatments, my husband and I chose to adopt another child. After ten months of waiting for a Caucasian infant, all we really wanted to do was complete our family, so we decided to become a multi- racial family. In October of 1995, our son Aaron, a beautiful boy of African, Latino, and Irish descent, was born. And since our open adoption experience with Amy had been so successful, we decided to open the adoption with Katie, Aaron's birthmother. This relationship also has been mutually rewarding.

In February 1997, Amy gave birth to another daughter, and due to the financial climate in her life, again had to make the heart-wrenching decision to place her daughter up for adoption. Amy came to me to ask that I help her in this decision, and, together with a local agency, we found the right adoptive parents. I attended the birth of her second daughter, and have been there to give emotional support through a very trying time.

Through all my adoption experiences, I have gained the knowledge of working with other adoptive couples, birthfamilies, and children of adoption. I always said that if God would give me the children I so desired, I would give back the knowledge I gained to help others find their dream families. For this reason, I have started CAS.

Mary was an Adoptive/Foster Educator for the state of Maine, and also a committee representative for the "Spirit of Adoption" support group, and "Conversations in Adoption" state group to refine adoption education in the State of Maine.

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