We heartily recommend that expectant parents and prospective adoptive parents learn as much as they can about adoption by reading books, information on line, attending adoption related movies and talking with individuals with adoption experience. Many people involved in adoption differ in their perspectives; learning about adoption can give you an overview of those perspectives and help you arrive at your own point of view. Both expectant parents and prospective adoptive families find themselves faced with a number of questions and decisions during the adoption process and in subsequent years. Learning how other biological parents and adoptive parents made choices can help you “try these on for size” so to speak and, again, help you find your own comfort level.
There is wide variability, throughout the country, with regard to the degree of post placement communication also referred to as “openness” between birth and adoptive parents. Learning more about the relationships that other families have established can help you consider what’s right for you and for your children.
As you begin your exploration of adoption, please feel free to email us with names of new titles books, movies, links to on-line resources) you think we should add to this list. We hope that these resources can help you on your journey!
Recommended Readings
Books for Expectant & Adoptive Parents
learn moreChildren's Books on Adoption
learn moreOnline Education
learn moreYou can reach Full Circle Adoptions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-452-3678
National Adoption Information
- Adoptive Families of America
3333 Highway 100 North Minneapolis, Minnesota
Phone: 800-372-3300
A toll free number has been established by AFA for those seeking easy access to free information on how to adopt a child, for information on adoptive parent support groups, and other adoptive parenting resources. - American Adoption Congress
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 91, Washington, DC 20036.
Advocates for adoption reform. Offers services to all members of the triad. - Michigan Association for Openness in Adoption
P.O. Box 5117, Traverse City, MI 49684
Phone: (616) 275-6221
Membership organization that promotes openness in adoption. Open to triad members and professionals. - National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
PO Box 1182, Washington, DC 20013-1152
Website: www.calib.com/naic
Offers fact sheets and pamphlets mostly free of charge on a wide variety of adoption topics and referrals to therapists and other professionals. - The Kinship Center
1520 Brookhollow Drive, Suite 41 Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: (714) 979-2365
Email: kinship@redshift.com
Website: www.kinshipcenter.org
Book, Catalogs and more . . .
- Adopted Child
P.O. Box 9362, Moscow, ID, 83843.
Phone: (208) 882-1794.
Email: www.raisingadoptchildren.com
Newsletter, books and tapes by Lois Melina - Heart Words Center
4054 McKinney Avenue, Suite 302, Dallas, TX 75204
Phone: (214) 521-4560
Books and tapes by Randy Severson. - R-Squared Press
721 Hawthorn Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Phone: (810) 543-0997 - Tapestry
PO Box 359, Ringoes, NJ 08551-0359
Phone: (800) 765-2367
Website: www.tapestrybooks.com
Announcements, Cards and Gifts - Adoptive Families of America
2309 Como Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: (800) 372-3300
Advocates for adoptive families. Offers referrals to adoptive parent support groups. - Adoption World Specialties
6920 Wilton Drive, NE, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402.
Announcements, cards, and gifts items.
- Cherished Memories
W 16806 Old Farm Road, Germantown, WI 53022.
Phone: (414) 251-0189.
Announcements, cards and gift items. - Designs From the Heart
109 South 55th Street, Omaha, NE 68132
Contact: Cathy Ciaccio
Phone: (402) 556-4304
Email: hearts@radiks.net
Website: www.designsfromtheheart.org
Announcements, cards, and gift items. Includes international designs. Mailing Lists - Triad List
Open to all triad members and professionals.
Contact: adoption@Iistserv.Iaw.cornell.edu
Message: Subscribe adoption - Birthmother list
Open to birthmothers only.
Contact: birthmother@acca.nmsu.edu
Message: Subscribe birthmother - Birthparent List
Open to all triad members.
Contact: LlSTSERV@indycms.iupui.edu
Message: Subscribe BIRTHPARENT
Books on Open Adoption
- A Letter to Adoptive Parents on Open Adoption by Randolph Severson. House of Tomorrow Productions, Dallas, TX. 1991. A perfect introduction to openness in adoption for prospective adoptive parents.
- A Handful of Hope by Suzanne Arms, Celestial Arts, P.O. Box 7327, Berkeley, CA 94707.1990. Updated version of To Love and Let Go. Using case studies, shows how open adoption affects the lives of those it touches, especially birthparents.
- Adoption: Philosophy and Experience by Randolph Severson. House of Tomorrow Productions, Dallas, TX. 1991. Explores a wide variety of adoption experiences, including open adoption. Helps readers look at adoption in a new way.
- Adoption Without Fear Jim Gritter,editor. Corona Publishing Co., 1037 S. Alamo, San Antonio,TX 18210. 1959. Seventeen adoptive couples describe their experiences with open adoption. Must reading for anyone touched by adoption, it is particularly helpful for prospective adoptive couples just beginning the process.
- Children of Open Adoption by Kathleen Silber and Patricia Martinez Dorner. Corona Publishing. 1990. This book examines the effects of open adoption on the adopted child at every stage of development.
- Dear Birthmother, Thank You for Our Baby by Kathleen Silber and Patricia Martinez Dorner. Corona Publishing. 1991. A classic book on open adoption that presents the subject through actual letters between birthfamilies and adoptive families.
- My Child is a Mother by Mary Stevenson. Corona Publishing. Written by a birthgrandmother, this book is a personal account of open adoption from the birthfamily’s perspective.
- The Open Adoption Experience by Lois Melina and Sharon Kaplan-Roszia. Harper Perennial, 1993. A complete guide for both birthfamilies and adoptive families. Covers many topics, including readiness for open adoption and growing up in an open adoption. Must reading for those considering open adoption and is a handy reference as the child grows.
Books for Expectant & Adoptive Parents
- A Birthmother’s Book of Memories by Brenda Romanchik, R-Squared Press, 721 Hawthorn St., Royal Oak, Ml 48067. 1994. This fill-in the blank journal is a perfect way for a birthmother to give her birthchild the information every adopted child wants to know. Sections for family history, the pregnancy and the reasons for choosing adoption. Plenty of room for pictures as well. A gift all adopted children will treasure.
- Birthmothers: Women who have relinquished their babies for adoption tell their stories by Merry Block Jones. Chicago Review Press, Chicago, IL. Written from interviews with 30 birthmothers in a variety of situations, this book relates the common experiences of all birthmothers in a touching and profound way. A must for anyone who wants to know about the experience of birthmothers.
- Dear Birthfather by Randolph Severson. House of Tomorrow Productions, Dallas, TX. 1991. A booklet written specifically for birthfathers, with the respect and importance they deserve.
- Saying Good-by to Baby: Volume I & II: The Birthparent’s Guide to Loss and Grief in Adoption by Patricia Roles, Child Welfare League of America, 1989. Written for adoption professionals, these books will help providers and others help birthparents with the loss of a child through adoption.
- The Third Choice: A Woman’s Guide to Placing a Child for Adoption by Leslie Foge and Gail Mosconi. Creative Arts Book Company, Berkley, California 94710. 1999. The guide begins with an overview of the adoption process in this country and then gives input and consideration to women first finding out about their pregnancies. The Third Choice takes potential birthmothers through their pregnancies, the birth, the relinquishment process, and the grief and recovery period afterward.
- Why Didn’t She Keep Me? Answers to the Question Every Child Asks by Barbara Burlingham-Brown, Langford Books, South Bend,IN. A series of stories from birthmothers regarding their decision to choose adoption. Situations range from closed to fully open adoptions.
Children’s Books on Adoption
- Adoption Books for Kids A Reading List for Children and Teens in Adoptive and Foster Families
- Beginnings: How Families Come to Be by Virginia Kroll. Albert Whitman, Morton Grove,IL. Explores a variety of situations from building families by birth to open adoption situations.
- The Mulberry Bird by Ann Braff Brodzinsky. Perspectives Press, Indianapolis, IN. Tells the story of a mother bird’s decision to place her baby bird with an adoptive couple. Children love this book.
- A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza. Putnam, New York, NY. A baby bird, Choco, looks for his mother. Choco finds Mrs. Bear, and while she may not look like him, both Choco and Mrs. Bear come to realize that her love for him makes her the perfect mother for him.
- Lucy’s Feet by Stephanie Stein. Perspectives Press. 1992. Lucy doesn’t know where her big feet come from. All the other members of the family have small feet and she would like to have small feet too. A cute book on acknowledging differences and celebrating similarities. Books on Adoptive Parenting
- Making Sense of Adoption by Lois Melina, Harper and Row, New York, NY, 1989. Describes each stage of development and recommends age-appropriate activities to reinforce the concepts discussed. A valuable resource.
- Raising Adopted Children: A Manual for Adoptive Parents by Lois Melina. Harper and Row, 1986. Another excellent reference book by Ms. Melina on raising adopted children.
- Talking with Young Children about Adoption by Mary Watkins and Susan Fisher. Yale University Press, 1993. Includes stories of parents and children talking together about adoption. Newsletters and Magazines
- Adopted Child P.O. Box 9362, Moscow, ID, 83843. Phone: (208) 882-1794. www.raisingadoptchildren.com Published monthly and edited by Lois Melina, this four page newsletter offers professionally written and researched information on issues effecting the adopted child.
- Adoptive Families PO Box 9362, Brentwood TN 37024 Phone: (800) 372-3300 Website: www.adoptivefam.com Full color magazine that covers all aspects of adoption. Articles written primarily for adoptive parents, the magazine also has articles of interest to birthparents.
- Birthparents Today 3423 Blue Rock Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239 Phone: (513) 741-0929. Edited by Lynn Lape, Vice President of Birthparent Support. This newsletter addresses issues important to birthparents and the people who care about them. Open to adoption professionals and other triad members as well as birthparents.
- Adoption with Heart and Soul Hope Cottage, 4054 McKinney Avenue, Suite 302, Dallas, TX 75204. Phone: (214) 521-4560. Edited by Randolph Severson and published twice a year. Discusses reform and ethics in adoption in an accessible style
- Open Adoption Birthparent R-Squared Press, 721 Hawthorn Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067. Phone: (810) 543-0997 Email: brenr@oeonline.com Edited by Brenda Romanchik. Open Adoption Birthparent is a quarterly newsletter for birthparents in open adoptions. This newsletter provides practical information you can use to make your open-adoption relationship more rewarding. It covers topics such as visiting children, selecting toys, and getting along with the adoptive parents. It also includes news of research on open adoption and upcoming conferences. The cost of the newsletter is $16/year.
- PACT Press 1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 111, San Francisco, CA 94111 (800) 750-7590 (birth parent line) (415) 221-6957 (main office) Website: www.pactadopt.org Email: info@pactadopt.org Quarterly magazine that focuses on all aspects of adoption.
- Roots and Wings PO Box 577, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 Phone: (908) 813-8252
Email: adoption@interactive.net
Website: http://www.rootsandwingsmagazine.com
Online Adoption Education
- www.adoptionlearningpartners.org – online courses
- www.heartofthematterseminars.com – online courses
- www.baylor.edu/resources/support-birth-mothers — How to Support Expectant and Birth Mothers Throughout an Adoption (Baylor University’s online master’s in social work program)
- www.abundleofjoyreferral.com — Understanding Domestic Adoption from A-Z. A step by step and self paced resource guide/course designed to help families interested in domestic adoption navigate the process
- www.creatingafamily — online courses and other resources on adoption, foster/kinship care, infertility and more
News articles featuring A Full Circle Adoptions
- May The Circle Be Unbroken – Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly article by Maryann Teale Shell
- Saloomeys and Adopted Twins Attend Postal Adoption Stamp Ceremony By Robin Greenspan
Non-Adoption Related Urgent Resources
- Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433
- Nat’l Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK)
- LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255
- Nat’l Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1−800−799−SAFE(7233)
- Trevor Project (“It Gets Better”): 1-866-488-7386
- Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743
- Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438
- Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673
- Grief Support (CA – Peninsula): 1-650-321-5272
- Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000
- Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253
At the Beginning – Soon After Birth
Cord Blood Banking – Umbilical cord blood can be used in the development of regenerative stem cells and the treatment of potential future illnesses. The listing of one company is not an endorsement by the agency but merely a listing of information that we anticipate clients will check out by performing their own due diligence. One resource is ViaCord’s cord blood banking service (www.viacord.com) . We encourage all families to check out this and other cord banking services.