We Waited 9 Years for Our Daughter — and Had 9 Weeks to Prepare for Her

Our long journey to adoption shifted into light speed once we found our birth mother

Jesús Triviño Alarcón
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Photo: courtesy of author

Moms. They’re the beginning for all of us.

Without a mother, we wouldn’t physically be here, and we wouldn’t know right from wrong. A mom can be your oldest sister, a Titi, or even an older cousin in Latinx culture. But we don’t speak much about birth mothers, the biological moms in an adoption. Let me tell you a bit about mine.

My wife, Yvette, and I had been trying to start our family for almost nine years. After failed IVFs, IUIs, many thousands of dollars, and emotional and mental heartbreak, we decided to adopt. That journey started nearly three years ago; we found an adoption group with couples and single people in our same position as well as couples who have been parents for decades. We connected with an amazing lawyer — an adoption specialist from Colombia.

It was all overwhelming at first, but we felt like our odds were good because everyone we met sang our praises. Young Latino couple? Check. Most people who decide to adopt are White and much older. Incredible careers? Check. Bilingual? Check. Looking for a Latino or biracial baby? Check. Every single person we talked to said the same thing: Oh, you

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