For adopted people living in Michigan, discovering the identity of your birth mother or birth parents can be a crucial step in being secure in your identity. And for recent adoptees, the process is usually fairly straightforward now that nearly every adoption is either open or semi-open.
But for those who were adopted back when most adoption agencies were closed, the process can be trickier. However, several resources and tools are available to locate your birth mother.
Independent options
To begin with, there are steps you can take to try to locate your birth mother. The first might be to speak with your adoptive parents if they’re still alive. They may be able to point you in the right direction.
Beyond that, you can try to contact the adoption agency or social worker responsible for your adoption. While not all agencies and social workers have kept extensive records for decades, they may still be able to steer you toward your birth mother.
Organizations and official resources
There are many organizations and governmental resources you can look into as well. Your state may have an adoption reunion registry. If so, you can sign up and receive instant notification of the identity of your birth mother. Some states also allow adoptees to request a copy of their original birth certificate, which will give you the necessary information.
A wide range of adoption searches for parent services also exist. Some are free, while some require a fee. You can begin with free services and then transition to trying paid services if you have no luck with the free ones.
Finally, you can turn to the internet if you have some partial information on your parents or birth mother. Sometimes, the info you’re looking for is only a few online searches away.
Locating your birth mother can be a significant life event for an adopted person. Fortunately, a wide range of resources and methods are out there for tracking down the information and connecting you with your birth mother.