When a woman places her child for adoption, others in her immediate family – particularly her parents – are directly impacted by her decision. Birth grandparents experience a sense of helplessness and grief in an adoption because their grandchild is being raised by parents they don’t know, and they may never get the chance to see their grandchild again.
Several Internet resources address issues specific to birth grandparents. Here are a few links, courtesy of the founders of BirthMom Buds:
- “Birth Grandparents: What is Your Role?” – Discusses the rights grandparents have regarding the adoptive placement of their grandchild.
- Guidelines for Supporting Birth Parents
- Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Supporting Birth Parents
- Questions Frequently Asked by Birth Grandparents
- The Benefits of Birth Grandparents Being Involved in an Open Adoption
- “Unexpected Gifts of Joy: A Grandmother’s Tale”
- “Branches of the Family Tree”
- “A Birth Grandmother’s Perspective”
- LifeGrandmothers: A discussion forum for birth grandmas, along with several articles and poems
- Daughters of Zion Healing Ministry Tape and Workbook Series: Inspirational series for birth mothers and their mothers, based on the book of Isaiah.