Understanding Adoption

From the outside, choosing adoption for your pregnancy may seem intimidating. It may feel like a long process that will require a lot of energy and time. However, creating an adoption plan is not nearly as frightening as it may seem. Once you learn the basics from this blog, it may help you feel less overwhelmed moving forward. There will be people to help guide and support you every step of the way.

The Three Kinds of Adoption

There are three different types of adoption for you to choose from. Each has a different level of involvement after birth. They are:

Open Adoption
Semi-Open Adoption
Closed Adoption

Open adoption is when the birth mother has open communication with the adoptive parents. She has their contact information and is welcome to reach out anytime. Open adoption commonly includes texts, video and phone calls, and in-person visits. With open adoption, the child grows up recognizing their birth mother.

Semi-open adoption is when the birth mother has contact with the adoptive parents so they can send her pictures and videos as the child grows. The birth mother feels connected to her child while also keeping a distance. In the majority of semi-open adoption plans, there are no in person visits or phone calls.

Last, closed adoption is when the birth mother has zero contact with the adoptive parents. They meet after the birth of the baby and never again. The adoptive family raises the child with no communication to or from the birth mother.

It’s up to you to decide which type of adoption works best for you.

The Adoption Process

It’s important to be sure that adoption is the right choice for you. There are five basic steps to the adoption process.

Decide. It’s important to be sure that adoption is the right choice for you.
Find an adoption agency and make an adoption plan. The agency you choose will help guide you through what you want your adoption process to look like. They will enforce whichever type of adoption that you choose.
Find an adoptive family for your baby. This choice is completely up to you. Your adoption agency will give you profiles on different families that are looking to adopt. These portfolios include information on the families’:
- Living situation
- Hobbies
- Parenting ideas and philosophies
- Values
- Religious beliefs
- There is no pressure when choosing the family that you want your child to be a part of. Your agency will provide you with as many portfolios as needed until you find the one that you love.
Get to know your adoptive family. This step is entirely optional to you. If you choose a more open adoption approach, you have the option to meet and get to know the adoptive family that your child will be a part of.
Complete paperwork after birth. After the birth of your baby, and once you’ve had time to recover, your agency will walk you through all of the legal paperwork needed for the adoption. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and understand exactly what you are signing!

Finding Support

Making decisions around an unplanned pregnancy can be hard. We understand that! It’s important to have people around you that love and support you. Having someone to talk to about your feelings can mean the world when making a decision about your pregnancy.

How We Can Help

If you need support, we are here for you. We care about you and how you are feeling. We offer pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, and options consultations at no cost to you. Schedule your safe and confidential appointment by clicking here, calling us at (530)-272-6800, or texting us at (530)-802-0858.