Birth Psychology

I can’t stop reading these amazing articles and studies. They explain so much that I have been pondering over for years. I will post on the topics later, but for now I just wanted to share…Pick a subject and somehow you will end up discovering a part of yourself you never knew or understood. I was a psych major so I know I get a little overly excited about these type things…but in this case I think everyone would be captivated by the studies! If not, oh well, a little psychology never hurt anyone….

A snippet taken from one of the journals:

Pain

Pain is a very real part of adoption. The pain of adoption is sometimes overlooked by triad members and other people. It is expected that adoption is a happy event in which everyone gets their needs met and everything works out for the best. As wonderful as adoption can be, there will also be some painful feelings.

“Sometimes I’m in so much pain I don’t know what to do. I just want to forget that it happened. I want to get on with my life and not be so sad and depressed.”
Birth parent

Once the pain of adoption is acknowledged, it can be understood and the healing process can begin. You cannot heal something you do not admit exists. Acknowledging the pain can be as simple as allowing yourself to feel sad and not judging yourself for your feelings.

Bonding v. Attachment

“I have two very special relationships with my two mothers. I thank my birth mother for giving me life and loving me those nine months we were together. I love my adoptive mother for caring for me as only a mother could–being there when I was sick, sad, or needed a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. One relationship is not better than the other or more important to me. I needed both of them.”
Adoptee

Bonding is a biological process. It begins in utero between a pregnant woman and her unborn child, and continues during the period shortly after the baby’s birth. Attachment is a separate process that occurs after birth, outside the womb. Biological mothers are the only ones who bond with their babies. All others, including biological fathers and other relatives–and adoptive parents–form attachments to their infants and children. Each kind of relationship is crucial to the well-being of the adoptee.

Biological v. Adoptive Parenting

“My parents always told my brother and me that love, not biology, makes a family. But I have always been curious about my birth family. I have questions that only they can answer.”
Adoptee

Love does indeed make a family. But biology matters, especially to the adoptee. Sometimes adoptive parents have a difficult time accepting and understanding the meaning of biology for the adoptee. Respecting the importance of the birth family in the adoptee’s life allows the adoptee to embrace all that he or she is.

Click on the volume numbers below to see the abstracts of articles in that volume
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 – 18 – 19 – 20

Homepage | Welcome | APPPAH | Bits & Bytes | Life Before Birth | Primal Health
Origins of Violence | The Birth Scene | Healing of Pre- & Perinatal Trauma
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Origins of Violence | Healing of Pre- & Perinatal Trauma | The Journal | Resources

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mom Gives back Adopted Son (blisstree.com)
• Anita Tedaldi: Woman Returns Adopted Child After 18-Months (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Attachment Parenting Month 2009 Blog Carnival of Growth (attachmentparenting.org)

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