You know the one. That feeling that something just isn't quite right.
That feeling that at any moment, everything you love could just be gone.
These are the feelings one dad had to deal with when his baby's mother decided to check out and give their baby up for adoption...without his knowledge.
This is his story of how he got his baby back.
At 25, Chris Emanuel couldn't have been happier to learn his girlfriend of just three months was pregnant.
Although their relationship was still in its own infancy, they began discussing marriage immediately.
“I was happy, who wouldn’t be happy?”
Emanuel explains he never questioned whether he would raise the baby: “It wasmy first child and at the time, you know, I’m going to be there. We’re going to do everything we got to do.”
He wanted to be involved. He wanted to go to every appointment and see every ultrasound.
Not before long, though, his girlfriend started growing more and more distant.
He knew something wasn't right. He also knew his girlfriend's parents didn't much care for him, which he attributed to racial differences.
He and his whole family started worrying that she wouldn't keep the baby. Six months before the due date, Emanuel's half sister and best friend started researching father's rights.
Emanuel learned that he could sign up for the "responsible father registry."
This registry notifies unwed fathers when their children are born without their knowledge. It's the only thing that gave him a fighting chance.
Months passed. A baby shower was planned. She didn't show up. That's when Emanuel discovered his baby had already been born....
...and given up for adoption against his wishes.
What ensued next was a fight to get his daughter back: "My daughter was stolen from me. I asserted my rights. My rights were stripped of me. But not only that, now I’ve got to prove myself for my daughter.”
It took several court battles until a judge finally granted Emanuel custody of his baby girl. His attorney, Jennifer Mook, hopes this story will help other fathers know their rights and sign up for the "responsible father registry."
The long fight was well worth it: "I felt her breath for the first time, seeing her eyes, seeing her touch. It was like, I lost a part of me, I was lost, I was so lost and I felt complete. I felt whole again. Having my daughter for the first time where she’s supposed to be. It’s a moment that is irreplaceable.”
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