If you’ve started to think about adoption for your baby or child, it’s important to ask questions to the adoption professionals you talk to. By asking the 5 questions below (and any others that are important to you), you can feel more comfortable in your decision.
Getting a feel for how an adoption professional treats you is so important. If ever you feel judged or pressured, we encourage you to stop working with that professional. This is your life, your child, and your decision. You have the right to choose an agency you feel good with.
Here are 5 questions every woman considering adoption should ask the adoption professional:
1. What’s your process like?
At Lifetime, we give every woman we talk to the tools and info she needs if she’s considering adoption. We’ll send you information on adoption confidentially through email, text message, or regular mail if you prefer. You’re in the driver’s seat of your adoption plan: you select the adoptive parents for your child, how open you want the adoption to be, and how things will go in the hospital. For more details on the adoption process, visit our page What Is The Next Step in Adoption?
2. How will you help me pick the adoptive family for my child?
The first step for many women considering adoption is to find adoptive parents that match what they’re looking for. Lifetime will provide you with adoptive parent profiles that meet what you’re looking for. That may be a couple who live near the ocean, or maybe you want your child to have a stay-at-home mom. When you select your top two to four adoptive couples, Lifetime will help arrange your first contact with them so you can get to know them. You can email them, call them on the phone, or even meet in-person. If you’re nervous, Lifetime can do a conference call so you’re not alone in the process.
3. Can I get counseling pre-placement?
We encourage women considering adoption for their child to take advantage of Lifetime’s free counseling services. You can speak with a licensed, third-party counselor about the emotions you’re experiencing right now. And, you can also talk, email, or text with a woman who’s already made an adoption plan for her child. Since she’s been where you are right now, her understanding and patience can be so helpful.
4. What kind of counseling is offered after I place my child?
For many birth mothers, counseling is needed after they place. Lifetime Adoption will make counseling available to you at any time after your adoption plan goes through. You might find you need to speak with a counselor right after, or later on down the road. Asking adoption professionals what services are available to you, and how to get them will save you the stress of trying to find out later on.
5. How involved will you be post-placement?
If you’ve made an open adoption plan with your child’s adoptive parents, ask the adoption professional if all contact will be handled through them. Also, find out if there will be a caseworker present when you sign adoption papers. Lifetime makes sure that a licensed social worker is involved, who will ensure you understand all of your rights in adoption. By being detailed in what to expect, you can create an adoption plan that works for you!
As Vice President of Lifetime Adoption, Heather Featherston holds an MBA and is passionate about working with those facing adoption, pregnancy, and parenting issues. Heather has conducted training for birth parent advocates, spoken to professional groups, and has appeared on television and radio to discuss the multiple aspects of adoption. She has provided one-on-one support to women and hopeful adoptive parents working through adoption decisions.
Since 2002, she has been helping pregnant women and others in crisis to learn more about adoption. Heather also trains and speaks nationwide to pregnancy clinics to effectively meet the needs of women who want to explore adoption for their child. Today, she continues to address the concerns women have about adoption and supports the needs of women who choose adoption for their child.
As a published author of the book Called to Adoption, Featherston loves to see God’s hand at work every day as she helps children and families come together through adoption.
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