We encourage you to take steps that will help you understand yourself and the implications of searching. Two excellent online primers for beginners are Marilyn Mendenhall Waugh's Beginner's Search Checklist and Shea's Search Series, which explains legal terminology in greater depth. Reunited mother Amy Bredes has written a helpful letter for adoptees who need to understand the emotional sensitivities of the parent you are searching for. PACER offers some excellent online articles at no charge. You can also browse the AAC bookstore for titles that will help you prepare. Some adoptees are more comfortable than others discussing the possibility of search with their adoptive parents. Listen to others' experiences and get feedback from a trusted counselor or in a safe forum/experienced support group like AIS-CTC or CUB.

Find out what records (amended birth certificate, original birth certificate, adoption decree, non-identifying information about the birth family) you have available, and determine if your adoption took place before or after June 1967. If you were adopted prior to that date, there is a good chance your birth name appears on the Final Decree of Adoption given to adoptive parents at the time the adoption was finalized. If you don't have any non-identiying information (social, religious, and education history provided at the time of your relinquishment), you can usually obtain it from the agency handling the adoption, or through the Colorado Department of Human Services (see related FAQ).

If you were part of an open adoption, the parties may already know each other's names. This is, obviously, a tremendous help.

Mothers who surrendered their children to a closed adoption can usually get copies of records they signed, or on which they were named, from the agency handling the adoption, per CDHS Rules and Regulations. See our FAQ for more details about obtaining adoption records.

Start a search notebook where you can keep everything in one place. You might divide it into categories like Records, Ideas/Leads, Conversation Log, Laws, Contacts, Articles, Miscellaneous, etc. Make it a point to keep a record of every conversation and even seemingly small bits of unrelated information you might find. Sometimes they add up in a big way!

During the information gathering process, get involved with a good support group, such as AIS/CTC or Concerned United Birthparents (CUB). Online groups can also be helpful, but nothing replaces personal connection with people who "get it." Family members, friends and an adoption-savvy therapist are often important resources, though not everyone can be expected to understand what you're dealing with during this process.