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The hopes and fears of Tristan's birthmother

"YOUR FIRST MOTHER WILL NEVER FORGET YOU" Piedad Yamile Agudelo Correa 2004 Piedad, July 2004. Before I received the first letter with news of my child I asked myself many times what would be the life of my child. My maternal instinct told me that he was well; but the conscience accuses you and betrays you, causing you to think the worst. I thought of him and I cried for him during the two long years until I received the first letter from his parents, and to learn he did not suffer. Many times I thought about what my son looked like, if he was healthy and happy ... but as God is good, he consoled me telling me that he was more than healthy and happy. He was blessed and protected by Him and I felt it. Yet I was also disturbed by my fears of thoughts that maybe he was not adopted and still at the orphanage ... and never found a family, or brothers or sisters or parents to love him. I often wondered if he already knew he was adopted, would he want to know me or about me. I also worried that he would hate me and have a thousand questions about why I had to give him away. I worried about how I would answer those questions. I think of my child often. I think of him at night, in the morning and in the day. I will think of him during my tomorrows. In my prayers he is always with me and still more, when my other children cry or they laugh or they are happy. I think of what he might be doing at these moments and especially when his brother Andrés Felipe does some thing good or bad; I wonder if Tristan carries himself the same way. Andrés Felipe bears a striking resemblance to Tristan; for me they resemble each other a lot physically and in some things in their behavior. Only once did I think of reclaiming my child. I would have reclaimed him if he were to stay in the orphanage. I went back to the orphanage. I was told that he was adopted and taken far away. Would I want to reclaim him today? To take him back, away from his family? No. I would never want to hurt my child or his family. What pains me in my soul is the pain of giving one child in adoption yet parenting other children. I feel sometimes that I do not have valid justification. I know a pain combined with a sense of peace and tranquility because it is so special a family that my son has, because they love him and give him a better life. I often suffer guilt and remorse. I am alone to think that he is growing up and he understands the situation. My hope is that my child understands. I did not receive any understanding or support from my family and I did not count on them when making the decision. I was alone and I know that my mom and siblings did not want a heavier load as more children for such a poor family and home. They questioned me a lot and they caused me a lot of suffering when I was pregnant again. I felt so much alone and my life changed a lot since the moment I decided to relinquish my child for adoption. I was no longer the happy girl and I cried my grief in silence and I still do. After relinquishment I prayed so to hear the voice of God answering me that my child was well. My pregnancy and relinquishment were not a secret. My family was embarrassed. They often spoke badly of me yet they also told me not to bring another child home to them. They asked me what I was to do with the child then did not support me I suffered so much! My mother, family and the father made me suffer and I felt they wanted to punish me. This was before I had contact and reunion with my child. Today we are all happy. I worried a lot about my child. I think all birthmothers do. I worried about the difficulties he might face. I worried that someone would make him suffer and maybe touch him inappropriately or violate him the way some bad people do. I also worried that he would be killed and someone would steal his vital organs like it happens in many parts of the world. This practice can be found in the big cities and it is often mentioned on the news. This was one of my many worries. I did not want my child to suffer. Sometimes people try to make me feel badly about my decision and then I wonder if my child will love me or hate me. When I think of this and feel badly I wish I could speak my child's language, to be able to speak directly to him, look him in his eyes and really understand his feelings towards me. I want to understand his love or disaffection towards me. In my heart I know that I deserve the good and the bad. I am a realist. The most difficult parts of the whole birthmother experience was to be pregnant at my house and to endure the fights with my mom, and then the decision to give my child in adoption. The hardest by far was the third day after birth to have my child feed from my breast then sign the paperwork and to leave him there. I thought I would die. I so wanted to have him with me and my opponents impeded me. More than 11 years after the adoption of my child my feelings are like that of any good mother and I consider myself a good mother. I am full of love and have the best wishes and prayers for my son and my blessing and prayers are directed all to God, asking his protection and the guidance for the best road and my son obtains everything that he desires in life. My hopes at the time were that my child would be adopted by a good family who would give him a good education, would understand when he did a mischief and would did not mistreat him. I hoped they would give him medicine when was sick and a lot of love. Today I feel very well, since I know that my son is with people that have truly accepted my child as their own and they give all the love that parents can give their children. I think that they are excellent people and I'm sure my son will always be in good hands and he will be the same as born to them. For birthmothers who were young or single and cannot have their children with them they can consider adoption. Adoption is a good option. Adoption is a better choice than abandonment or abortion. I want my boy to know that I love him and always wanted what was best for him and that is why I chose adoption and not to kill him in my womb or to throw him away. To me this is the decision of a good mother. I am here if and when he needs me. Your first mother will never forget you. __________________________________________________ Piedad Yamile Agudelo Correa is Tristan Guibault's birthmother. She lives in Carolina del Principe, Antioquia, Colombia. Leceta Guibault is mother to Kahleah (Guatemala, 1991) and Tristan (Colombia, 1994). Leceta and husband Jean and family live in Joliette, near Montreal. She is a board member of the Adoption Council of Canada and the Federation of Quebec Adoptive Parents, and moderator of the email list Canadians-Adopting (groups.yahoo.com/group/canadians-adopting). Leceta was awarded a NACAC Adoption Activist Award for her work towards openness in international adoption. Copyright 2006 Piedad Yamile Agudelo Correa Published at Family Helper, www.familyhelper.net, on Nov. 7, 2006. First published in Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections (2006), edited by Jean MacLeod and Sheena Macrae (EMK Press, 16 Mt. Bethel Road, #216, Warren NJ 07059, 732-469-7544, www.emkpress.com/adoptparent.html.) Also published in "Going Back to Our Roots", a six-page reprint by EMK Press, used as a handout for the Guibault presentation at the 2006 Latin American Heritage Camp in Colorado.

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