Can I Put My Newborn Baby Up for Adoption at the Hospital?

by | Jun 21, 2019 | Birth Parent Blog

hospital-adoptionChoosing adoption can happen in many different ways. Some pregnant women realize right away that parenting isn’t going to be possible, so they create an adoption plan when they’re still early in their pregnancy. Others might need more time to think about what the right choice is.

Sometimes, the best choice is still unclear right up until labor starts. If you find yourself in this situation, you might be wondering if pregnant women can choose adoption for their newborn babies at the hospital.

Yes, you absolutely can! It’s never too late for adoption

A woman choosing adoption at the hospital happens more often than you might think. Lifetime Adoption has helped many women with this type of adoption. Even though it might happen more quickly than a typical infant adoption, there is a process for making an adoption plan for your newborn baby at the hospital.

 

What’s the Process for Choosing Adoption at the Hospital?

The first thing to do is call or text 1-800-923-6784 and talk with an Adoption Coordinator. She’ll walk you through the process of making an adoption plan from the hospital.

Lifetime Adoption’s 800 number is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you’ll always be able to get adoption help when you need it most. When you call Lifetime, you’ll never get our voicemail or have to leave a message with an operator. You can access adoption help and answers, no matter if you’re calling at 3 pm or 3 am!

When you make an adoption plan from the hospital, the steps involved resemble any other type of adoption. The most major difference is in the speed of the process — making an adoption plan from the hospital can happen as quickly as you’d like it to.

Step 1: Make Sure Adoption Is Best

walking-epidural

First off, it’s important to take some time to make sure adoption is the best choice for you and your baby. Your hospital stay could be an emotional roller coaster, and you’re dealing with a lot of pregnancy hormones.

Adoption is a life-changing decision. Only you can decide what’s best for you, and adoption is your decision to make.  We recommend taking the time to take into account all of the factors and consequences of choosing adoption. This will help you feel confident in your choice, whatever that ends up being.

Step 2: Create an Adoption Plan

Once you’ve thought it over and decide that adoption is right for you, you will then make a hospital adoption plan.

When you call Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784, you’ll be put in touch with an Adoption Coordinator who will guide you throughout the entire adoption process.

Making an adoption plan involves things like:

When you choose adoption for your baby from the hospital, you’re in charge of your adoption plan. You’re in control, and your Adoption Coordinator is there to answer your questions and present you with your choices.

Step 3: Select an Adoptive Family

Your Adoption Coordinator will gather adoption profiles about hopeful adoptive couples for you to look at. She will also email you links to their adoption websites, which you can look at on your phone or tablet right away. The websites and profiles you see will be from couples who match what you are looking for. Each adoptive couple would be thrilled at the opportunity to adopt your baby!

Selecting the adoptive parents is one of the most important decisions in an open adoption. We know that you truly love your baby, and want the best life possible for them. With Lifetime Adoption’s nationwide network of hopeful adoptive parents, you’ll be sure to find great parents for your baby.

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Step 4: Placement

After you select adoptive parents, your Adoption Coordinator will contact them to let them know you’ve chosen them. No matter where they live in the US, the adoptive parents will travel to you quickly. You can meet the adoptive couple in person when they arrive if you choose to.

As we mentioned in step #2, you have the right to see and hold your baby after giving birth. In your adoption plan, you can name how much contact you’d like to have with your baby after he or she is born.  You can hold your baby and spend time together before signing adoption paperwork and placing him or her with the adoptive couple.

Then, you’ll sign paperwork which gives your official consent to the adoption and your baby will go home with the adoptive family. For many women, this is a difficult time filled with challenging emotions. Lifetime Adoption can connect you to counseling and support services at no cost to you if you’d like.

Step 5: Post-Placement

Open adoption doesn’t mean saying goodbye to your child forever. Today, most infant adoptions are at least semi-open. This means that you can put in your adoption plan that you want to keep in contact with the adoptive parents and your baby as he or she grows up. The communication you exchange with them can range from email updates to in-person visits. It just depends on what you want in your adoption plan.

Having contact in an open adoption is healthy for you, the adoptive parents, and most importantly, your child. Open adoption helps a child understand that your decision was made out of love and that you had to do what was best for them. Having a positive adoption story is so valuable as your child grows and starts to form his or her sense of identity.

Open adoption allows you to see your child flourish and grow. You’re able to move forward in your life knowing that your baby is being cared for and loved. This knowledge has helped many birth mothers feel confident about their adoption decision.

Do you have questions about how to make an adoption plan
for your baby from the hospital?

Just call or text Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784
at any time to speak with an Adoption Coordinator.

Mardie Caldwell Certified Open Adoption Practitioner

Written by Mardie Caldwell Certified Open Adoption Practitioner

Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P., is nationally recognized as an expert on open adoption. A Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P.), Caldwell is the founder of Lifetime Adoption Center, established in 1986. She has assisted in over 2,000 successful adoptions and was one of the first adoption professionals on the Internet.

Caldwell’s life work is dedicated to educating and helping birth parents find the right adoptive parents for their child. She spreads the word about modern adoption through speaking appearances, webinars, online resources, and as a podcast show host.

She has written several award-winning books, including So I Was Thinking About Adoption, the first book of its kind. There are many reasons women choose adoption, and this short book is a comprehensive resource to make the best plan for you and your baby. Caldwell wrote So I Was Thinking About Adoption as a handy guide to the details of the adoption process.

Caldwell has made over 150 media appearances, including ABC News, CBS News, Larry King Live, CNN Headline News, NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s The Campbell Brown Show, NBC News, KGO Newstalk Radio, CNN’s Black in America II, MSNBC, Fox, PBS, BBC, and Dr. Laura.

Read More About Mardie Caldwell

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