For a lot of us who are hoping to adopt, family and friends are a big part of our journey. We need their love and support as we build our family through adoption – and especially AFTER we’ve adopted. Once we start the infant adoption process, it can go on for months or even a few years. The journey is definitely an emotional one, so we need family and friends to support us and our adoption plans. On today’s episode, we have a great discussion with Dawn Baker from Bethany Christian Services. She is joining me to help us figure out how to talk about adoption with family and friends. Dawn is the Pregnancy Counseling & Adoptions Service Line Director for the Bethany Michigan office. She has so much experience working with all those involved in infant adoption. She is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about working with expectant parents and adoptive parents. Since 2009, MTV has followed the story of one of Dawn’s clients, documenting her counseling and the pregnancy and adoption placement of birthparents Catelynn and Tyler in two reality shows, 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom. She is lovingly called “Dawn, the adoption professional” by the MTV folks. While having friends and family support is important, it can also be challenging when we talk to them about our adoption plans. It can be tough to figure out when to tell them, how to tell them, and how much to tell them. Dawn will share tons of wisdom and tips you can use on your adoption journey. I know you’ll enjoy listening to Dawn share her heart.  What you will learn about in this episode: * When is the best time to announce your adoption plans to family & friends? * Dawn’s tips for figuring out what to tell & what NOT to tell family and friends. * What questions (that can be intrusive and rude) should we expect from our family & friends? * How can we explain positive adoption language to our family & friends. * When is the right time to share your adoption story (and how much should you share)? * Plus Dawn shares many more tips and resources for how to talk with family & friends about your adoption plans. * AND MUCH MORE! Links we talk about in this episode: * Bethany Christian Services Adoption Support – Bethany offers lots of adoption support, including more information about how to talk with family & friends as well as a positive adoption language resource. * Learn more about Dawn Baker and what she does for Bethany Christian Services in Michigan. * Wrapping Around Adoptive Families – booklet Dawn recommends by Focus On The Family. They also have a resource page for adoption information. * Bethany.org – find out about their infant adoption program and you can watch some cool adoption story videos. * What does the Bible tell us about adoption? – as Dawn talks about in the interview,