Kaoru Tachibana¡¯s journey in becoming an adoptive parent has been a race against time involving layers of legal hurdles, stacks of bureaucratic paperwork and considerable soul-searching as she waited for her child with an empty baby bed.
Before she received notice this summer that she should be expecting to welcome a newborn in October, the 40-year-old office worker was on the verge of giving up on the prospect of becoming a mother. A prior match had fallen through earlier this year when the birth mother decided against giving her child away. Tachibana¡¯s husband was also about to turn 52, several years beyond the age limit many private adoption agencies have set for aspiring parents.
¡°We had rented a baby bed in anticipation of welcoming a child the first time around. It had a six month lease, so we decided to call it quits if we didn¡¯t hear back from our agency before that expired,¡± says Tachibana, who asked to be referred to by her maiden name to protect her child¡¯s privacy. She currently lives in Okinawa with her husband and adopted baby girl.
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