Adoption Birth

To our forever families:

The moment you meet your child at the little children's home is the moment of your birth as a forever family. We know that many of you have waited for this moment for a very long time. And in many cases your child has been waiting for a long time as well. You have seen pictures of each other and have anticipated the arrival of this day eagerly. And yet, with all the excitement as the day comes closer, you might feel a little anxious. Some of you travel far, you might feel jetlagged, and many things might seem foreign to you. Not knowing what to expect often makes us feel uncomfortable, so we want to give you as much information as possible to prepare you and your child for your adoption birth.

We believe it is very important to care for the emotional needs of you as the new parents and of your child. The emotions in an adoption birth are very raw. Your child knows that your arrival means a big change for them. At the same time, for you as parents this is a new situation, too. Giving birth to a toddler or an older child is not easy, and feeling a bit scared is normal. This is why we love the three days we have together to assist and support you and your child as best as we can.

Instead of in the mother's womb, your child has grown in your heart, this is your birth!

During the three days of your adoption birth, we spend time together at both the little children's homeand at the Gustafson house (a new environment where the child is not so familiar). We like to call this "breathe in and breathe out" - a gentle dance of moving slowly away from what the child has known. Sometimes, we go for a walk, to the playground or ride a jeepney together, but in all these things, we are child-led. If the child is showing signs that we need to spend more time in their comfort zone at the little children's home, we will listen to the child.

For the three days of your time with us, we provide all of your meals. This time with your child is precious and we believe that you should be able to focus on your time with your child and on yourselves as new parents. Now is not the time to worry about food or logistics.

When your time at the little children's home comes to an end, we celebrate together with a going-away party, we call it a "despedida". During the despedida we have a time of worship, we share stories and we pray together before we all go outside to eat and finally send you off after lunch. The children at the little children's home are familiar with this routine and it has created a sense for them that this is the time to leave.

You are now part of our big international tlc family!