Having a baby can challenge even when you feel like you have it all together. So imagine living on the streets with your young son and finding out you are pregnant as you struggle to overcome addiction. What choice would be best for you? Bree and Tony made the decision to ask LFCS for help.
Bree and Tony had been together for four years. Their son, Mason was just starting to walk when they learned their second baby was on the way. It should have been exciting news, but for this couple, it could not have come at a worse time.
Bree was a heroin addict. Although she was committed to her treatment program and never missed a rehab appointment, she was still in recovery. Tony, too, struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Due to relapses, neither had held a job for more than a few months in the past year. Homeless, the family of three bounced from one friend’s couch to another and occasionally stayed in shelters throughout Saint Louis. They were lucky to eat one full meal a day and their only possessions fit in a backpack and a trash bag.
“How would this second baby fit into this life?” Bree thought. This was not a healthy environment to raise one child, let alone two.
In order to improve their life, Bree and Tony knew their priority had to be recovery. They wanted their children to grow up feeling loved and safe. Addiction could not provide either. Treatment was a full-time commitment. Dividing their attention between a newborn baby and Mason seemed like an impossible feat. They talked to their treatment counselor about options. That’s when they first learned about LFCS.
Bree and Tony read the LFCS pamphlet for birth parents and called to make an appointment. A friend offered to drive them and watch Mason. They met with a caseworker who explained their choices and how each could affect their lives. Parenting this baby meant recovery could not be the priority, but that they would be raising their children together. Placing the baby in an adoptive home gave the opportunity to focus on treatment, but without the child they already loved so much.
Neither decision seemed easy.
Following that first consultation and several conversations, Bree and Tony knew they had found the answer in adoption.
Making an adoption plan brought both heartache and bittersweet joy. As birth parents, Bree and Tony were able to review all the potential adoptive parents and select the couple to parent their baby. This process allowed them to envision the life their baby could have – the one they knew they were unable to provide. With the adoptive parents, Bree and Tony determined the level of openness to have in the years to come. Their collective decision eased Bree’s mind about prioritizing her rehabilitation, knowing that although she could not be a consistent presence for her baby then, in the future she had the opportunity to be involved.
Just three short weeks after first meeting the adoptive parents, Bree went into labor. When they placed their newborn son in his adoptive mother’s arms, Bree and Tony knew their difficult choice was the right one.
If you are pregnant and confused, contact LFCS today! We are here to provide support and information about all pregnancy and parenting options available.