Don’t Call Me Ma’am | The Other Side of Adoption | Episode 15
This week on Don’t Call Me Ma’am, host Jodi Miller speaks with Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, a mother and adoption reform advocate, about her experience placing her son for adoption at the age of 22. Kelsey shares the emotional and logistical challenges she faced after an unplanned pregnancy, including lack of support from the baby’s father and her own parents, as well as limited social resources in her conservative Indiana town. She recounts working through pregnancy while dealing with morning sickness, job loss, and public scrutiny, ultimately making the difficult decision to pursue adoption through an attorney. Her story touches on the emotional detachment she felt during pregnancy, the complexity of navigating people’s assumptions, and the moment of heartbreak and love when her son was born and placed into the arms of the adoptive parents.
Jodi and Kelsey explore the layered realities of open adoption, emphasizing how love, transparency, and continued connection can help shape healthier outcomes for everyone involved. Kelsey now works to reform the adoption industry, highlighting the widespread issues of misinformation, exploitation, and the absence of post-placement care. She and Jodi share personal stories that reveal both the beauty and brokenness of the current system—Jodi as an adoptive mom and Kelsey as a birth mom—offering listeners an unflinching, heartfelt look at motherhood, agency, and the urgent need for more compassionate, ethical adoption practices.