Becoming a Mother

By Mandy Bridges

​My passion for children came early in my life. I took care of my sisters from a young age. My parents were children themselves when they had me at 16 and 17 years old. They were not ready for me yet but did the best that they could do with what they had. We were poor and mostly happy. Saundra was born 5 years after me and then Ashley was born 3 years after her. I took on a lot of responsibility with them. My parents struggled and divorced when I was 15, but we three girls stuck together like glue. Our relationship is very close to this day. 

I married Josh when I was 21(he was 19). We wanted children right away. That was not in God’s plan for us. After some prayer and waiting, 10 years later we decided to adopt a sibling group out of the foster care system. In the fall of 2010 we attended all the classes to get our license and started a mountain of paperwork in December. January of 2011 we received a call from a good friend named Sara. She worked for an agency that councils young moms that have lost their children in the foster care system and are trying to obtain them back. She asked us if we were interested in being put on a list for a birth mom to meet us and adopt her child. We were not expecting a newborn because that rarely (almost never) happens without an agency. We told her we would love to.

God talks about love so much in the Bible. He tells us that Jesus is love, the greatest commandment is to love, to love our enemies and so on and so on.

When we met with Natalie (Anna’s bio mom) in February 2011, I fell in love with her like a mother does with a child. She was timid, shy and I could tell she had baggage and a history. I wanted to know more about her and spend more time with her. I wanted to love her. She called us on March 1, 2011 and told Josh and I that she had chosen us out of the three couples that she interviewed. We were ecstatic!!

​From March to June that year we spent some time together every day. It was a roller coaster of emotions and at times I thought she would change her mind. It was her right and I needed to be prepared for that if she did. I got to know her very well. I also fell in love with her baby bump! I sang, read and talked to Anna everyday while she was incubating in Natalie’s tummy. This was a special time for us. I not only wanted to adopt Anna but also Natalie. Anna was born on June 30, 2011 and has been the pure joy of our lives. Our relationship with Natalie has been spotty at best but I still love her. I pray for her daily. She has given us the most beautiful gift that we could have received this side of heaven. That was a massive sacrifice for her that she lives with every day of her life.  I became a mother because of her sacrifice and just like God sacrificed his Son for us….all for love.