Hello, I’m Suzanne Peden, and I’m a clinical social worker, but I’m also the owner of A Angel Adoptions. We are a private, licensed agency in Helena, Alabama, just south of Birmingham. If you live anywhere in the state of Alabama, I would absolutely love to work with you. I know that there are a lot of options out there, as well as a lot of agencies and resources you could be calling. However, I’d like to take the time to tell you about why working with A Angel Adoptions and my staff is in your best interest and the best interest of your child.
My Passion For Adoption & The People I Work With
First, I’d like to say that I have been working in the adoption field ever since graduate school in 1985. That’s a long time ago! I have absolutely maintained my love and passion, and I still get excited every day thinking about who I’m going to be seeing today. I adore working with my mamas like you and my adoptive families. My role is to help both parties come together and make a plan that each side feels best about.
Why Choose A Angel Adoptions Over A Nation-wide Adoption Agency?
Number one, I am a small private agency, and I would liken me to kind of the “mom and pop boutique” versus the big national stores that are out there. When you’re working with A Angel Adoptions, my office manager is going to know who you are when she answers the phone. When I pick up the phone, I’m going to know who you are. No matter where you live in the state of Alabama, I can come to you! I can be that support person. You can contact me in the morning, you can contact me at night, you can contact me in the weekend, and I will be there for you! So, truly, the person you’re seeing right now talking to you is the person who will be working with you on your plan.
Everything is Your Decision! You Have A Say! You Are in The Driver’s Seat!
The second thing is, I want to make sure that YOU are in the driver’s seat. It’s not like you come to my agency and I tell you, we do this, we do that. Or you must do it this that way or that way. Absolutely not! I’m going to listen to you and talk to you about what is your “magic wand plan” for your baby? What kind of journey do you see you going through and this child going through? So, if you want a more closed adoption plan and less decision making, then I totally respect that. If you say, you know, Suzanne, I really want to be proactive in my plan, and I want to pick the family and I want to meet them. And you know what? I might even like them to be at the hospital when I have the baby. They could even be in a room, rooming in with the baby, and you can still spend time with the baby. Then, they can take the baby home directly from the hospital. That is called a legal risk placement, but it happens all the time.
Your Relationship As A Birth Mother
What do you want your relationship with the family and the child to look like for the next 18 years? Would you like to be able to talk on the phone, to text, to Skype, or do FaceTime? There’s a lot of social media choices that I don’t even know about. Many adoptive couples and birth moms maintain contact over social media. The other thing is, do you want to continue to have direct visits through the years at age-appropriate places? What does that look like? In the beginning, it could be a restaurant, it could be the park, it could be the zoo. I have couples and birth moms that spend several times a year, meeting up.
The Open Adoption Advantage
The great thing about openness is, number one, there are no secrets. Number two, a child cannot be loved by too many people. Your child will know that you chose the parents. Your child will know that you have maintained contact through the years. Your child will know, I have a mom and dad. I have a first mom or birth mom, first dad or birth dad. I have siblings because a lot of moms, a lot of you watching today, probably have other children. So again, everybody’s coming together in a plan that is in the best interest of the child.
The A Angel Advantage
So, what are you getting from me that you may not get from other resources? Well, you’re going to get ongoing counseling during the pregnancy and for as long as needed after. I have women and adoptive couples that I worked with 39 years ago, that I still maintain contact with. I have birth moms and couples that call me years down the road for advice or help, or maybe they had a more closed adoption, and they want to open it up and have a more open adoption now. I’m still there for you. I’m not a one time working with you attorney or another resource that after the baby’s born, they’re kind of not part of the plan anymore. With a licensed child placing agency, I have ongoing contact with you, as well as ongoing counseling with you and the family. You can have control and make a lot of choices and decisions that some agencies never give you those options. Handholding and support are what I’ve heard a lot of birth mothers tell me they think about when working with my agency. I’m giving them the emotional support and the handholding. I’m giving the couple, the emotional support and handholding. And through the years, if needed, I’m giving that emotional support to the child as well.