"A grief reaction unique to the relinquishing
mother was identified. Although this reaction consists of features
characteristic of the normal grief reaction, these features
persist and often lead to chronic, unresolved grief. CONCLUSIONS:
The relinquishing mother is at risk for long-term physical,
psychologic, and social repercussions. Although interventions
have been proposed, little is known about their effectiveness
in preventing or alleviating these repercussions." Journal
of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing, 1999 Jul-Aug;
28(4):395-400 "Postadoptive Reactions of the Relinquishing
Mother: a Review"
"In sum, society sees to it that by action
or by implication, a woman who is having a child out of wedlock
will come away from the experience with an inferior sense of
herself as a mother, whether she keeps her baby or relinquishes
him for adoption. This downgrading of the maternal image, can
do serious injury to the later maternal functioning of the woman
whose perception of herself as a mother is thus impaired."
HELPING UNMARRIED MOTHERS, Rose Bernstein, 1971, [Permission
given this author by the Child Welfare League of America and
the National Association of Social Workers to use portions that
originally appeared in "Child Welfare and Social Work".]
"The decisions unmarried mothers have to
make are among the difficult ones. These decisions have to be
made under conditions of restricted maneuverability and abnormal
pressures - pressures of time and emotion that do not allow
for testing, exploring, and other procedures that are ordinarily
considered essential to sound decision-making." HELPING
UNMARRIED MOTHERS, Rose Bernstein, 1971, [Permission given this
author by the Child Welfare League of America and the National
Association of Social Workers to use portions that originally
appeared in "Child Welfare and Social Work".]
