Mom, 31, was forced to give her adopted baby girl BACK after birth parents changed their minds.
- Sarah Howell and her husband Chris were forced to give their adopted daughter back only five days after they welcomed her home.
- The couple was told the baby girl’s birth parents had changed their minds and they wanted her back.
- Despite having less than a 1% chance of conceiving naturally, Sarah and Chris were later blessed with a baby boy of their own, before adopting another child a year after.
After Sarah Howell, 31, was diagnosed with endometriosis, she was given less than a 1% chance of conceiving naturally. Since she and her husband, Chris, 32, dreamed of becoming parents, they decided to approach an adoption agency.
Surprisingly, in 2018, the registered nurse from Richmond, Virginia, discovered that she had defied the odds and conceived a child naturally. Shortly after, she and her partner received a call from their adoption agent, saying they had been paired with a newborn girl.
Sarah and Chris were on the seventh heaven after hearing the news. Sadly, only five days after they welcomed their adopted daughter home, they had to give her back. The couple was told the baby’s birth parents changed their minds.
Having to return their adopted baby girl was more painful than “words can describe.”
At the time, Sarah was already eight weeks pregnant with her son. In the five days she and Chris spent with the baby girl, she got so attached to her, that she feared she would suffer a miscarriage after giving her back.
As per Daily Mail, Sarah explained:
“When I walked into the hospital room her birth mom was holding her and lovingly placed her into my arms, she said, ‘Meet your mom, baby girl.’“
However, she had no idea she would have to give her adopted daughter back only five days after holding her into her arms for the first time.
“I was feeding her when the call came through. I fell to the floor in despair. I kept saying over and over to my husband, ‘You’re joking, this is a joke right?’
I always say the pain we felt that day was worse than our three years of infertility combined. Saying goodbye to her hurt more than words can adequately describe. It felt like an actual death to us because we knew we would likely never see her again.
She made us parents. She helped heal a part of our hearts that infertility broke. She made me a mom even if it was only for a few days.”
Despite the pain, Sarah says she has no hard feelings towards the girl’s birth parents.
Interestingly, the 31-year-old nurse says she is grateful the girl’s biological parents gave her the chance to become a mother, even for just a few days.
“We do not hold anything against her birth parents. If we could, we would tell them how much we love them, and how lucky baby girl is to have them as parents.”
Thankfully, the couple was blessed with a baby boy they called Noah. But in the early months of their marriage, they were grappling with a horrific infertility struggle.
Less than a year after Sarah and Chris got married, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. Doctors warned her she could suffer serious fertility complications and advised her to start trying to get pregnant as soon as possible if she wanted to have children. She shared:
“It was devastating and sent me into a situational depression. We knew we wanted a family. My husband was more positive and was able to often view things from the bright side, but for me it was a major grief process. Marriage counselling during this time was crucial and I don’t think our marriage would have withstood that low place in our lives without help.”
The couple spent three years attempting to conceive a child naturally, struggling through multiple surgeries, hundreds of injections, pills, and negative pregnancy tests.
At one point, they feared they would probably never experience the joy of having their own kids. However, they were both eager to adopt a child in case they cannot have one of their own.
After finding out they have less than a 1% chance to conceive naturally, Sarah and Chris completed their home assessment and were added to the up to three-year-long waiting list. They were beyond startled when on January 31, 2018, Sarah’s pregnancy test was positive for the first time in years.
“When I opened my hall closet that morning the pregnancy tests were staring at my front and center when they are normally tucked away and out of sight. I had been going back and forth on whether to test before this so once I saw them I decided to go for it.
I sobbed. I cried so hard I could barely breathe. It really was the shock of my life. I remember I asked myself a million times that day, ‘How is this possible?'”
Although they had to give up on their adopted baby girl, the couple says welcoming their son was “surreal.”
Sarah disclosed:
“When I pulled him to my chest I found myself talking to God thanking him for giving us this miracle and making it to the other side of infertility.”
Since they both had always dreamed of a big family, Sarah and Chris continued to investigate adoption opportunities. A year after Noah’s birth, they received another call from a social worker, letting them know they had been matched with another baby boy. They gave him the name Levi.
What’s more, the couple decided to become foster parents to help more children find loving parents. On June 29 this year, they took in another baby boy. Sarah explained:
“As a mom of three boys under three, I feel like I am forever cleaning up messes, playing referee, and changing diapers. I will miss this one day so I remind myself to enjoy the now. It is what we prayed for for so long after all.
Three under three is certainly an adventure and at times utter chaos. But the giggles, laughter, and joy far outweigh anything else.”
