This month on Pregnancy Has Entered the Chat, join host Chloe Belk and author Leah Outten as she shares her story of open adoption from the birth mother's point of view.

Leah is the author of The Sixteenth Year, a birth mother in a fully open adoption, and a mother of five whom she parents with her husband. She is a speaker and passionate advocate in the adoption community.

Leah shares her story as God guided her through it, from finding out she was pregnant as a teen, to making an adoption plan, to her relationship with her daughter over twenty years later. Listen in as Leah shares the beauty and difficulties in her journey and resources to support birth mothers.

• 00:32: Leah's Introduction

• 1:47: Emotions She Felt as She Found Out She Was Pregnant

• 3:44: Her Decision to Place for Open Adoption

• 8:45: Did she face any pressure in her decision-making process?

• 11:00: "Leah Shower"

• 15:16: "Soda Bottle" Analogy for Grief

• 17:08: How Her Community Made her Feel Supported

• 19:10: What beauty and difficulty has come as a result of her open adoption?

• 23:59: How She Hoped for the Best with Her Relationship with Her Daughter and Protected Her Heart

• 27:14: Would you recommend writing a letter to your child during your pregnancy?

• 29:45: Resources for Adoption

• 33:18: Leah's "Why" for Serving in the Adoption Community

Resources mentioned:

Get Leah's book, The Sixteenth Year: https://www.amazon.com/Sixteenth-Year-Open-Adoption-Memoir/dp/1645900509

The Ampersand Initiative: https://www.theampersandinitiative.com/

Leah's devotional for birth moms, Flourishing Hope: Birth Mom Edition: A Devotional for Birth Moms Growing in Unexpected Places: https://amzn.to/4rfXzKu

Leah's devotional for women facing unplanned pregnancies, Flourishing Hope: A 30-Day Devotional for Pregnant Women in Unexpected Places: https://amzn.to/3LW0doL