In the beginning ….

I was pregnant at the age of 19 years old and knew I was pregnant after I had split on bad terms with the father of my son.  Even so, I knew I wanted to raise my baby and I had a job so I knew I could afford to raise my child.  I was scared and didn’t know how to tell my parents but eventually, they had to know.

It went badly and my mother was determined that my baby was to be adopted but I refused to agree to it.  My father didn’t say much at all, he simply let my mother get on with it.  It was a horrible time and I suffered from low self-esteem and lacked confidence.  I didn’t even see a social worker from the adoption agency until after my son was born.  All I knew was that I wanted to be a mother and raise my child.

Infant adoption was slowing down by the start of the 1980s but it didn’t stop social workers from being pushy over babies being adopted.  I was one of many mothers over the years who were pressured to surrender without knowing my rights.  My mother made me feel worthless, I wouldn’t be a good enough mother yet I was capable of looking after my niece.  She was born just over two months before my son was born.  My mother continually put me down and made threats such as;

I would be kicked out

I would lose my job because I would be homeless

I wouldn’t be able to get rented accommodation

I wouldn’t be able to get any benefits

My son would be taken off me because I was homeless so I may as well agree to the adoption.

It was relentless brainwashing to try and convince me adoption was the best option.  The first time I saw the social worker I told her I didn’t want to give my son up and it was my mother who was all for adoption.  She said she would put a stop to the adoption but ‘it would be a good idea for my son to go into foster care until I got myself sorted out’.  I did manage to see my son once before I left the hospital and I will never forget that.