Placing a baby for adoption is a courageous and emotional decision. We help birth parents and birth mothers create a personalized adoption that provides hope, security, and love for their child. Below is a comprehensive guide that will walk you through the baby’s placing and adoption process.
Are you thinking about putting a child up for adoption?
Step 1: Deciding on Adoption for Your Child
Finalizing the decision to place a child for adoption can be very challenging. It is important to explore every option carefully to ensure you make the right choice that is best for your baby and you. Modern open adoption can be beneficial for your child by providing your child with:
- An inspirational open adoption story where the child grows up knowing how his/or birth parents and adoptive parents found each other and came together out of love to give the child the best childhood
- A chance to thrive and grow in a stable loving environment
- Opportunities to stay connected via open adoption
- A supportive and loving family
Every woman has a unique situation, and only they have the right to decide what is best for their child. This is why you should ask common questions about adoptions, like:
- Is it necessary for the father to be involved?
- What is the process of open adoption?
- What requirements can I have for the adoptive family I select?
- What level of contact will I have during my pregnancy and after the placement?
- What types of medical, counseling, and living expense support am I able to receive?
Our team is available to guide you 24/7 through the adoption process. Call any time at our Confidential 24 Hours 800-637-7999 or Text 844-640-7999
Step 2: Create an Adoption Plan
The next step involves an adoption professional typically a caseworker explaining your adoption options and the procedures. They will present you with profiles of qualified waiting families, and after you choose a family, they will arrange a meeting virtually or personally. Your private caseworker will also help you build an adoption plan and with the following things:
- Help you with pre-natal care
- Discuss financial support
- Present you with waiting adoptive families that fit your requirements
- Prepare for your hospital stay
- Personalize the adoption plan
At AdoptHelp, you get to control the complete adoption journey. We will help you come up with the adoption plan that is right for you.
Step 3: Gather Information About Your Child
If you choose to move forward with the adoption, our professionals will ask you to provide background about your family medical history, so the child has the benefit of knowing what runs in the family. This data is shared before selecting a family and before you sign the adoption consent agreement.
Step 4: Finding the Perfect Family for Your Child
You have the complete right to choose a family that is stable, loving, and will nurture your child for life. You will have access to hundreds of hopeful adoptive families who are pre-screened and have passed background checks. These families are so excited to be selected and are ready to start parenting at birth. Choosing the perfect family is the key to making a great adoption plan. Most people have fear about making an adoption plan but that all goes away when they find the perfect family and form a bond and connection with them.
Step 5: Knowing the Adoptive Family
Modern voluntary open adoption means you have the opportunity to develop a relationship with the adoptive family you select after and before placement. You can interact with the adoptive family through different mediums like:
- Phone calls
- Email exchanges
- Zoom chats
- Social media interaction
- Texts
- In person visits
Step 6: Giving Birth and Finalizing the Adoption
The adoption specialist will help you design a hospital plan according to your wants and needs before you prepare for delivery/labor. You can decide important details, like:
- If you want to leave the hospital together
- Who holds the baby first
- Whether or not you want to adoptive family to be in the room
- How to manage your medical costs
After giving birth, birth mothers typically have to wait at least 48-72 hours before signing the adoption paperwork (depending on the state law). Your adoption attorney and specialist will guide you through every legal process to make sure that you understand your rights before signing the consent form. Every state gives a birth mother a period of time that she can change her mind about the placement. Your adoption attorney or agency representative provides you with the exact amount of time your state provides you to change your mind and the required procedure for doing so.
There are two ways an adoption placement can take place. The first is the adoption agency you select takes custody of the child and places the child with the family you select after you sign the adoption consent forms. The other way is for you to transfer your parental rights directly to the adoptive family you select without the involvement of an adoption agency. This is called an independent or direct placement adoption.
Step 7: Post-Adoption Recovery
The period of time right after discharge from the hospital is one of emotional and physical recovery. Time and space are crucial for healing, while physical recovery takes 1-12 weeks (depending on how the delivery was conducted), post-partum depression can sometimes take over. Placing a baby for adoption can add to the feeling of depression but most birth mothers who chose open adoption and select a family they connect with share that they are proud of making the difficult decision of putting up a child for adoption with a family they chose because they know it was a loving and brave decision that changed so many lives for the better. You need to constantly remind yourself that you are not alone and there are plenty of counselors, mentors, and support groups available to help. Your adoption caseworker can connect with the best resources.
Step 8: Staying Connected After Adoption
Adoption does not mean that you never get to see your child; it is the beginning of a life-lasting bond. You have the right and a choice to stay connected with your child via open adoption. This includes in-person visits, video calls, emails, texts, and photos. Mothers opting for open adoption receive updates and build a profound relationship over the years. Your adoption caseworker will help in creating a transition plan that prioritizes everyone’s emotional attachments and needs.
Step 9: After Placement Contact and Support
After the placement, birth mothers are entitled to free counseling sessions and can have as much contact with the family as the parties would like. Your adoption case worker will help you make contact with the adoptive family and the child when the time is right. This is done by scheduled visits or updates throughout the whole year.
Common Questions People Ask About Putting Up a Baby for Adoption
How will the adoptive family tell my child about me to my child as they grow?
There has been a lot of research about this and adoption today is about celebrating adoption and the beautiful adoption story from birth. Adopted children know who their birth parents are and know exactly how everyone came together voluntarily and out of love for the child. Adoptive parents talk honestly and openly with their child about their adoption journey. This helps the child to grow with a positive and strong sense of identity and self-esteem.
What is the common age of children placed for adoption/placement?
In voluntary open adoption, most children are adopted at birth directly from the hospital.