Based on extensive interviews with social workers, adoption attorneys, agency personnel, and birthparents, REACHING OUT helps potential adoptive parents pursuing open adoption to craft and original, authentic, and effective Dear Birthmother Letter, aka Family Profile. "A wonderful resource for prospective Adoptive parents...I would recommend it to everyone who is having difficulty writing that important letter of introduction"-Kathleen Silber, author, 'Dear Birthmother" "REACHING OUT accomplishes all it sets out to do, and a good measure more. It should quickly find its way into the established canon of domestic adoption literature."-ASRM Mental Health Professional Group newsletter. "REACHING OUT takes much of the mystery out of writing a powerful and effective letter in a positive and enjoyable fashion. I will be recommending this book to my clients."-Douglas Donnelly, Attorney-at-Law, former president , Academy of California Adoption Lawyers

Ten years ago I became the adoptive father of a beautiful baby girl. The joy of nurturing my daughter to the brink of her teenage years has been the most fulfilling time of my life. She also has given me the noblest title of all. I am a father. Often during the past decade my thoughts have returned to the memory of a meeting with a young pregnant girl. A young girl whose ultimate, loving decision changed the course of my life. I wonder if her thoughts reach across the distance to reflect about her birth child and me. Is she emotionally troubled? Is she at ease with her decision? Does she need to be comforted by the knowledge that her birth child is being raised in a loving and stimulated environment? "Dear Linda," is an open letter to the birthmother of my child. But it is more. It is an open letter to all birthmothers from the perspective of an adoptive father. Not only does it express profound thanks for a mature and heart wrenching decision, it expresses love. "Dear Linda," details the events of the past eleven years. Many times emotional and oftentimes humorous, the reader is taken from the tribulations of a couple's infertility to the rigors of the adoption process. Later, the life of a special girl is chronicled. This revealing glimpse of my daughter's life will erase any lingering doubts that the birthmother may harbor about her decision. One learns that a selfless, loving act has positively impacted not only a child and a couple but also an extended family. The birthmother will learn that she touched the lives of several people in ways that she initially couldn't have imagined.

A searching, eloquent memoir about the joys and hardships of open adoption God and Jetfire is a mother's account of her decision to surrender her son in an open adoption and of their relationship over the twelve years that follow. Facing an unplanned pregnancy at twenty-two, Amy Seek and her ex-boyfriend begin an exhaustive search for a family to raise their child. They sift through hundreds of "Dear Birth Mother" letters, craft an extensive questionnaire, and interview numerous potential couples. Despite the immutability of the surrender, it does little to diminish Seek's newfound feelings of motherhood. Once an ambitious architecture student, she struggles to reconcile her sadness with the hope that she's done the best for her son, a struggle complicated by her continued, active presence in his life. For decades, closed adoptions were commonplace. Now, new laws are guaranteeing adoptees' access to birth records, and open adoption is on the rise. God and Jetfire is the rare memoir that explores the intricate dynamics and exceptional commitment of an open-adoption relationship from the perspective of a birth mother searching for her place within it. Written with literary poise and distinction, God and Jetfire is a story of a life divided between grief and gratitude, regret and joy. It is an elegy for a lost motherhood, a celebration of a family gained, and an apology to a beloved son.

After labor, it’s time for rest: A gentle guide to zuo yuezi, the ancient Chinese practice of postpartum self-care, including sixty simple recipes. The first forty days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on Heng Ou’s own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement” in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth. As modern mothers are pushed to prematurely “bounce back” after delivering their babies, and are often left alone to face the physical and emotional challenges of this new stage of their lives, the first forty days provide a lifeline—a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance. This book includes sixty simple recipes for healing soups, replenishing meals and snacks, and calming and lactation-boosting teas, all formulated to support the unique needs of the new mother. In addition to recipes, this warm and encouraging guide offers advice on arranging a system of help during the postpartum period, navigating relationship challenges, and honoring the significance of pregnancy and birth. Fully illustrated, it is a practical guide and inspirational read for all new mothers and mothers-to-be—the perfect ally during the first weeks with a new baby. “Bringing our attention back to the importance of the postpartum period for new mothers helps to create space for this essential period of integration and recovery . . . an invaluable companion during the first 40 days and beyond.” —Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein, filmmakers, The Business of Being Born

In 1966 when Judy became pregnant at the age of 16, her family kept her plight a secret and was compelled to give up her daughter. Judy felt the grief and shame as a tangible lumpwithin her body and fought to keep it contained within the shadows of silence. But as an adult, she felt compelled to address the loss by searching for her birth daughter and bringing her story to light--From back cover.