The Papers Are Signed, Now What? The Lifelong Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents | Alexis Eyler

Adoption is often portrayed as a beautiful moment when a family comes together. But what happens to the birth parents after the papers are signed? Alexis Eyler, executive director of the Birthparent Support Alliance (formerly On Your Feet Foundation), has spent more than a decade supporting birth parents as they navigate the lifelong emotional complexities of adoption. Today, her organization supports more than 800 birth parents across the US and Canada, helping them access community, counseling, and resources that are often missing from the adoption process. In this episode, Alexis challenges some of the assumptions we make about birth parents, from why someone chooses adoption to what happens when grief, trauma, and mental health struggles surface years after placement. She and Rebecca have an honest, sometimes challenging conversation about the ethics of adoption, financial support, the role of adoption agencies, and what it really means to put the child first. In this episode, we talk about: • Why adoption doesn't end when the papers are signed and what birth parents may experience long after placement • The surprising reason birth parents face a higher risk of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders without the screening and support other parents receive • What the financial realities of adoption reveal about who gets the resources to parent and who doesn't • Why birth parents may disappear from an open adoption and what adoptive parents can do to keep the door open • What adoptive parents often misunderstand about birth fathers and how assumptions and missed conversations can affect a child's future • Why birth parents need support groups, counseling, and community, even decades after placement • The difficult questions we need to ask about adoption agencies, financial incentives, and whether families are truly being given the resources they need • What it means to make decisions with the child's lifelong well-being at the center, even when doing so is uncomfortable About Alexis: Alexis Eyler is the executive director of the Birthparent Support Alliance, formerly known as On Your Feet Foundation. After beginning her career caring for infants at The Cradle, an adoption agency in Illinois, Alexis went on to dedicate her work to supporting birth parents through the lifelong complexities of adoption. With more than a decade of experience in the field, Alexis leads an organization that supports more than 800 birth parents across the US and Canada. Through support groups, counseling grants, therapeutic programming, and community resources, the Birthparent Support Alliance helps birth parents navigate grief, trauma, identity, relationships, and the many life experiences that can bring adoption back to the forefront. Connect with Alexis: LinkedIn:   / alexiseyler   Birthparent Support Alliance: https://birthparentsupportalliance.org/ Activism in Adoption: https://activisminadoption.org/ RG Adoption Consulting Website → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠ Book a Complimentary Adoption Strategy Session → ⁠⁠https://rgadoptionconsulting.com/cont... Get your personalized Adoption Roadmap - https://www.rgadoptionconsulting.com/...     Tune in to The Adoption Roadmap Podcast every Wednesday. If you like what you hear, I'd appreciate a follow and 5-star rating & review! THANK YOU! For questions about adoption, episode suggestions, or to appear as a guest on The Adoption Roadmap Podcast, email⁠⁠⁠⁠ support@rgadoptionconsulting.com⁠⁠⁠ birth parent support, birth mother postpartum depression, PMAD in birth parents, open adoption, birth fathers in adoption, adoption ethics, financial coercion in adoption, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, Birthparent Support Alliance, RG Adoption Consulting is here to hold your hand through every step of the domestic adoption process from home study to finalization, so you never feel confused, lost, or on your own. With our proven (pinky swear) 4-step Adoption Roadmap℠, my team’s goal is to help you bring your baby home in less than one year, whether you’re…single, gay, already have kids, or are over 40.