The path to creating a family can differ for everyone. For some it may require fertility assistance, others a surrogate, and others no assistance at all however for approximately 135,000 families it involves adoption.
In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with adoptive and assisted reproduction lawyer, Rebecca Mendel. As an adoptive parent, Rebecca offers both her personal experience and professional expertise on adoption. She explains the process of adoption from bonding with your new baby, the ups and downs of awaiting to become a parent, handling rude comments about adoption, as well as the legal bumps one may encounter during the adoption process.
Whether this reflects your journey into family life or not, Rebecca’s story is relatable for everyone venturing into parenthood.
In this episode:
- Learn about Rebecca and how she decided to focus on adoption law.
- Rebecca’s story about becoming an adoptive parent.
- The ups and downs of the adoption process from adoption prospects that fall through to the moment of meeting the new baby.
- Understanding adoption laws in different states.
- How Rebecca and her husband prepared for the transition of bringing a baby into their lives.
- What the bonding experience was like for Rebecca.
- Strategies and ways Rebecca learned to respond to outsiders- family, friends, etc about her choice to adopt.
- Rebecca’s advice as a parent and a lawyer about how to build a thick skin when your adoptive children do not look like you.
- How Rebecca’s daughter learned about her adoption and background.
- Recognizing there may be parts of your adoptive child’s background you may never learn.
- Assumptions people make about adoptive parents that just aren’t true.
- As an adoption lawyer- some of the bumps in the process she sees that parents may not be expecting.
- Resolutions to these issues .
- One tip or piece of advice Rebecca has for new parents.
- Where to find Rebecca’s work.
About Rebecca:
Rebecca L. Mendel, Esq. is a partner in the New York City firm, Rosin Steinhagen Mendel, PLLC. She has been with the firm since 1998, and became a partner of the firm in 2004. Rebecca graduated from Emory University in 1993, with a B.A. in political science. In 1998, Rebecca received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
At Rosin Steinhagen Mendel, PLLC, Rebecca’s focus is on is adoption law and family formation law. She has also been actively involved in the drafting the Child Parent Security Act in New York. Rebecca is also a founding member of the New York Attorneys for Adoption and Family Formation, and serves as its Vice President.
Rebecca has lectured about adoption at numerous organizations. She has also lectured about adoption law as part of the training for the New York City Family Court Judges.
www.lawrsm.com
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