Mothers of Loss

A United Front

Keri steps away from retelling her personal story of losing her son to adoption and their subsequent reunion to take you inside an online chat support group for birth mothers who have reunited with their children. Mothers of Loss provides a deep and multifaceted exploration around themes of loss, identity, motherhood, and the complexities of adoption and associated laws. The conversations, rich with emotion and personal insight, offer a platform for these mothers to share their journeys of relinquishment, the challenges of reunion, and their interests in advocating for legal changes, ensuring more honesty, support, and transparency in adoption practices. The women’s first-hand experiences are told through personal stories, letters to government officials, and discussions amongst the group, highlighting the emotional, psychological, and social complexities of adoption. Through their shared narratives, the women uncover a collective sense of enduring loss, mixed emotions towards the adoption process, nuanced challenges of reuniting with their children, the complex relationships with the adoptive families, struggles with identity and heritage, and a united front in advocating for systemic changes in adoption practices. These commonalities underscore a profound connection among the women, showcasing the need for a more compassionate and truthful understanding of adoption’s long-term impacts on birth mothers and their children while also calling for a critical reevaluation of adoption narratives and laws.