While open adoption may be the right answer to your unique situation, it can be tough to deal with the emotional roller coaster that tends to result from the process. Not only are feelings of loss something you'll likely face, but you may question your role and relationship with the adopting family as time goes on. So it's important to take a few steps that will help minimize the emotional roller coaster you experience during the open adoption process and beyond. Consider implementing one or more of the following tips and tricks:

Agree on Some Terms Beforehand

To ensure that there aren't any unpleasant surprises for you, the adopted child, or the adopting family as time passes, it's important to sit down together and agree on terms to abide by after the baby is born. It's not enough to agree on what types of contact you'll have with the child and family once the adoption is complete.

You should agree to specific terms for every type of communication you plan to have. For example, if you'll be sending letters to the child make sure that you commit to a schedule so you know that they'll be expecting each letter. Visits, phone calls, and other forms of communication should be considered and terms agreed upon before the baby is born. This will help ensure that you know exactly what to expect after adoption so you can plan and make decisions accordingly.

Get Involved in Support Groups

An excellent way to manage the emotional roller coaster you experience throughout the adoption process and after that is to get involved in at least one support group within your community. These support groups will also teach you how to create a personal relationship with the adopted child through letters and other communication methods, as well as how to cope with your feelings of loss using techniques such as diary management, meditation, and self-reassurances.

Look for a support group to attend that focuses solely on mothers giving their babies up for open adoptions so you can tap into personalized resources and tools that will help you feel whole again after giving birth, and the adoption becomes final. Support groups that admit both adoptive parents and those who are putting children up for adoption can create mixed emotions that end up hindering your progress in the long run.

Work in Various Adoption Campaigns

Involving yourself with local or national adoption campaigns is a surefire way to make yourself feel good about the decision you've made to put your baby up for adoption, as well as help other women who are having a hard time coming to terms with the choices and decisions they are faced with. You'll have an opportunity to help others reclaim their lives after adoption, and you may even gain career opportunities that allow you to get paid for helping people with a subject that is important to you.

There are many ways to make a difference within your community and beyond such as campaigning for financial support, providing education about adoption and contraception, and working with pregnant women who are the victims of rape or incest. You should get involved with more than one campaign on a temporary basis to start so you can get a feel for the different opportunities and gain personal insight into which path is the right one for you to take.

While implementing just one of these tips and tricks into your life will provide you with positive benefits, making use of them all will increase the chance that the open adoption process is fulfilling for everyone involved. For more information, see resources like http://www.achildsdream.org.