“Receiving a list of pre-vetted agencies from RG Adoption Consulting was invaluable. Had we gone out and done all the research by ourselves with all the possible agencies in the US, we wouldn’t have been able to narrow down such a list that would have made our process so fast and smooth.”
Matthew & Johann, Illinois
We began our journey by preparing and working independently to adopt. After working with our home study agency and creating our own adoption profile we weren’t sure of our next steps, which prompted us to seek out additional support. We are both busy adults working full time and our agency suggested we reach out to RG Adoption Consulting.
After meeting our consultant, we received feedback that our profile should be designed professionally to maximize our chances of connecting with an expectant mom. We were excited and relieved to have RG Adoption Consulting in our corner. After attending the RGAC Adoption Family Retreat in Chicago, we felt inspired to push forward on our journey and get serious about our adoption timeline. This was a positive wake-up call and got us to speed things up.
We quickly started applying to a lot of situations in hopes of a match. During this period, we got close to one or two connections, but never far enough in the process to ever meet with any expectant moms, or travel for any of these cases. It was disheartening at times, but we knew the right situation would eventually come along. Our consultant was with us every step of the way and helped to vet situations and avoid any red flags or potential financial risks.
When we finally matched with our daughter’s expectant mom, it seemed as though the stars had finally aligned. Our daughter was going to be born in Michigan and happened to be close to where Matthew’s parents are located. We didn’t want to get too excited about the case and we ran it by Rachel for any red flags before we could get ahead of ourselves.
Our process was 18 months long, but only about 8 months of wait time after gathering all of our materials and preparation. Matthew received the call at work right before a meeting and had to sit with the news. He couldn’t wait to share—it was agonizing, but so thrilling!
Everything was smooth sailing from there. We traveled to Michigan for the adoption and met with caseworkers from the agency. It was a closed adoption and the caseworkers were wonderful in helping out our daughter’s birth mom and making sure that she was taken care of emotionally.
We were able to meet with birth mom for dinner and began to build a beautiful relationship with her. She even invited us to be at be at the hospital for the birth! A day or two later, she was induced and began what ended up being a 14-hour labor and delivery. We were not present for the actual birth as we stepped away during the epidural, and our daughter was delivered shortly after. Moments later we had our daughter in our arms and became dads!
We were so grateful to have had a great hospital experience. Since Matthew’s parents live relatively close by, our daughter was able to meet her grandparents. Finally, we met up with our daughter’s birth mom for a ‘goodbye’ lunch a few days later. She wanted to maintain a closed adoption, but it felt like there was a good sense of closure.
The baby slept the entire way home, but as we arrived, we will never forget the first time she saw the city skyline and Lake Michigan. Ultimately, everything fell into place and we’re so thankful to have our daughter! The journey continues to be exciting, challenging, and life-altering. We will always be appreciative to RG Adoption Consulting for their support and assistance in the process of becoming dads!