Adoptions From The Heart recently released an episode of AFTHtv, sitting down with an adoptive mother to discuss her experience with Post Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS), also known as “Baby Blues.” PADS is a term that acknowledges how Adoptive Parents can also experience a short-lived depression after placement of an adopted child. Just as some mothers would experience postpartum, some adoptive parents go through periods of overwhelmedness and struggle in understanding the severity and weight of raising an adoptive child.

Studies have shown that anywhere between 8% and 32% of adoptive parents may experience PADS, as they also go through phases of adjustment after placement. Like a new birth mom, there are certain levels of “I’m not sure what I’m doing is right.” Other adjustments may be:

  • going from sleeping 8 hours to being sleep-deprived
  • worrying about quickly finding the right child care, cribs, medicines, etc.
  • wanting to show the birth family that they made the right choice
  • having to navigate your adoption story if maybe placed with a transracially adopted child.
  • and more. 

Sometimes you have other feelings that are involved, such as older children you may be parenting, as the adjustments are not always yours to bear alone. And with the COVID-19 pandemic creeping upon us, the lack of extended family support makes it hard for many families to adjust to a new baby, not just adoptive families.

As adoptive parents who may be experiencing signs of PADS, and especially single adoptive parents, it’s important to be able to recognize when you aren’t feeling like yourself. If you are becoming extra anxious, having vivid thoughts, hallucinations, or feeling lower than usual, it may be time to seek help. As mentioned before, the pandemic has stripped us from a lot of the support we are used to getting, but it is still important to have those safe spaces and places to feel vulnerable without judgment and biases. It is important to note that men also can experience Post Adoption Depression Syndrome, and as mentioned in the AFTHtv episode, it’s not that uncommon for them to do so.

Very often, adoptive families with one spouse or both, experiencing signs of PADS are fearful to come forth with these thoughts and emotions. The fear is that social services or their adoption social worker will want to take the baby back. That’s not the case at all. Adoption social workers are there for support pre-, during, and post-placement and are trained to treat this just like they would a birthmother experiencing postpartum depression. The goal throughout your entire process is to comfort and ensure that all parties have all of the tools and resources that are needed. Post-adoption supervisory visits are the perfect time to discuss this. Your social workers are a resource and those visits are in place for the purpose of support and transparency.

For more information on Post Adoption Depression Syndrome, check out our Episode of AFTHtv where we are joined by Rebekah McGee, an AFTH adoption social worker, and Liz, an adoptive parent who has experienced PADS https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=680819209736243.

 

For any other questions or to get connected with an adoption social worker, visit AFTH’s home page to chat with on today!