BTG Support and Ask April!

We are so so so excited to announce our Big Tough Girl Support Groups are officially getting started!!!  We have been waiting for a long time to be able to offer support groups to local birth moms....a place for them to come together in person or online and build lasting relationships with others who wear their scars! 

So what is BTG Support? 

Here it is in a nutshell:  BTG Support groups are designed for birth moms to find healing and motivation, peace and support, lasting friendships with birthmoms in their area and so much more...come in person once a month or check in with us online. Our support groups are FREE and just for you.

You can go to our BTG Support Blog to get ALL the information, details about each group, our discussion room, locations, our new Ask April column and more! 

BTG SUPPORT BLOG


This blog is just for birth moms.....looking for support and looking for a connection! 

Our first UTAH Support Group will be held on February 16th so stay tuned for details!!

We are here for you and we love you all so much!!! 

Contact:  btgsupport@blessingsinabasket.org

Here is our first ASK APRIL Column:

Dear April,



I am pregnant and my mother and I are fighting about my choice for adoption. She doesn't want me to just give away the baby to some random stranger. She was a single mom and raised me by herself. She says that I need to take responsibility for my actions and not dump them onto someone else. I really think that adoption would be better for me and the baby. My mom is a great mom but she was never able to have a life or any dreams...and I want some. How can I talk to her about this decision?? How can I help her see how I am feeling?

Jessica S. -Missouri

{if you have a question that you would like to submit to our on staff Social Worker, April Morgan McCoy, then please email them to btgsupport@blessingsinabasket.org attn:  Ask April}


*all last names and home cities will always be protected!
Jessica,
There is a great book that I recommend to just about anyone. I will probably refer to it often. Authors, Monica L. Blume, L.C.S.W. & Gideon O. Burton, PH.D call it, For the Love of a Child THE JOURNEY OF ADOPTION.

One of the first things I would do is agree with your mother about something specific. She says that you need to take responsibility for your actions correct? Thinking about what is best for your baby is very responsible. “Someone who is considering parenting a child needs to have the necessary skills and abilities to manage everyday life before he or she takes on the responsibility of another life” (Blume & Burton, p. 80).

I urge the importance of counseling, both individual and together. This could help you express your strong feelings for adoption with a third party there. Though this is your decision, it will be helpful for both of you to calmly talk about your feelings. It’s a good idea for you to talk about your dreams. Then, share the type of couple you would like to adopt your baby as well as how open you would like it to be. This may ease your mother’s feelings about the couple being “random strangers”, etc. At the same time your mother might learn to live a more full life and follow her dreams.

I understand that counseling is not always an option. If this is the case then try finding something that you and your mom both like to do. Preferably something that gets you out of the house and at some point leaves an opening for both of you to talk. Attend a birth parent support group in person if possible. The more you learn, the more you can teach your mother about adoption in today’s world.

April Morgan McCoy