If you’ve just started to research the process of adoption for your baby, you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of information out there. Luckily, you’re not alone. With some guidance, you’ll be able to decide what’s best for you and your baby.
Today, we’re describing the steps to take as you decide if adoption’s best for your baby:
1. Visit a Doctor
As soon as you think that you’re pregnant, visit your doctor or OB/GYN to make sure. They can also help you learn how your pregnancy is doing. Whether or not you choose adoption, you should start by caring for yourself and your baby.
The first few months of pregnancy are really important to your baby’s development. Since your body will be changing a lot, it’s essential that you start to take care of yourself as soon as possible. Your doctor will provide you with detailed instructions on how to care for yourself and your baby during your pregnancy.
2. Contact an Adoption Professional
Understanding how adoption works will be the first step in your decision-making process. An adoption professional will provide you with information, help you create a plan, and ask you what your needs are during your pregnancy. If you’re still on the fence about adoption, an adoption professional can provide you with all the information you need to make a decision. Call or text Lifetime Adoption at 1-800-923-6784 to learn more.
3. Create an Adoption Plan
Your Adoption Coordinator will explain all of your options, and help you decide how you’d like your adoption to go. They’ll help you plan your labor and delivery experience, your hospital stay, and direct you to programs if you need help with medical costs and living expenses. Your adoption professional will get your medical history, the medical history of your baby’s father, and ask you questions about what you’re hoping for in adoption. At Lifetime Adoption, you’re able to receive both third-party counseling and peer counseling.
4. Choose Your Style of Adoption
There are three different styles of relationships you can have with the adoptive family: open, semi-open and closed. You have the choice to decide the type and amount of contact you’d like to have with them after you place your baby in their home. Some women decide that updates through pictures and emails once a year is enough, but others choose more contact through annual in-person visits. The style of adoption relationship you’ll have with your child and his or her adoptive family is up to you.
5. Select Your Baby’s Adoptive Parents
Many pregnant women making an adoption plan appreciate having the power to choose the couple who will raise their child. The adoption professional will send you information about adoptive families, including their careers, faith, hobbies, parenting style, and enthusiasm to become parents through adoption.
You can even start looking at potential adoptive parents online at any time! Visit LifetimeAdoption.com/find-a-family to see hopeful adoptive parents’ profiles online.
Once you see an adoptive family that “clicks” with you, we encourage you to have a phone conversation with them. During the call, you can get to know the couple better and let them know your wishes for the adoption process. Feel free to discuss any questions, thoughts or concerns you may have.
6. Welcome Your Baby
Before you give birth, your Adoption Coordinator will encourage you to think about how you want your birth plan to go. Once you go into labor, notify your adoption professional right away. They’ll contact the adoptive family you’ve chosen.
After you deliver, you have the right to spend as much time as you need to with your baby. You’ll likely be allowed to leave the hospital within 72 hours. Depending on your state, you might even sign relinquishment papers before you go.
7. Preparing for Life After Placement
Most women find that they need counseling after placement since adoption is a lifelong choice. Your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime will help you work through your feelings and prepare you for the many emotions you’ll face.
Getting in touch with other mothers who chose adoption for their baby has helped many women. Your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime will put you in contact with other women who have been in your shoes. Since they’ve also placed, a peer counselor can let you know what to expect and provide you with helpful tips.
If you chose an open adoption relationship, you’ll also have the adoptive family’s support and be able to see your child grow up. With open adoption, placement isn’t a “good-bye” forever, but the start of a beautiful relationship between you, your child, and the family you chose.
Are you thinking about adoption for your baby? Call or text Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784. Requesting info on adoption or browsing profiles doesn’t mean you have to complete the adoption process.