45. Birth parent - gave up her child for adoption at 16.
Can you tell me about why your child was taken into care?
“...and that was when I knew that was… my decision would be final, and I would be giving him up for adoption”
How did it feel having your child taken into care?
“I sat outside the hospital for twenty four hours hoping to catch his parents walking in and out. But of course I wouldn’t know who they were”
Have you thought about your child since they went in to care?
“Just the wondering, the wondering if I’d passed him in the street, or, had he gone to the same school as my son? Or…Just not knowing.”
Was there a stigma over having a child adopted?
“ I was never ashamed of him… I didn’t tell everybody because there is a stigma out there, and you do get frowned upon”
How did you go about looking for your child?
“And I used to watch all the programmes on telly where they used to reunite people. Hoping, and, you know, I wanted it to be me.”
What happened when you spoke to the adoptive parents?
“Well, I thanked her for doing a job that I couldn’t do. She thanked me for giving her a child that she couldn’t have”
