Ok. So you’ve decided to check out an open adoption. Now the question is, how does a birth mother find a loving family for her baby? With all the millions of people in the world, how do you find kind, financially stable parents, who will love your baby and give him or her a wonderful childhood?
Lifetime Adoption has a unique process to help birth mothers find amazing adoptive families for their children. If you’re still considering your options, you can talk with a licensed family counselor, at no cost to you. They can help you sort through your thoughts and feelings about choosing an open adoption.
Step 1: Get Information About Adoption
The first step in the adoption process is just about gathering the information you will want to have to make your transition as easy as possible. Knowing ahead of time what will happen during each phase will make things seem less scary, and help ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Lifetime Adoption will help you start your adoption plan by sending you an information packet with some profiles of families and questions for you to answer about yourself and your pregnancy.
Step 2: Figure Out Your Due Date
You can roughly estimate your due date by going online to www.PregnancyHelpOnline.com, where you’ll find an easy-to-use pregnancy due date calculator to help you do the math. Pregnancies are usually around 40 weeks long, and your adoption counselor can help you figure out the date if you need help.
After this you’ll have an ultrasound to make a more exact estimation of when your baby will be due. This can also tell you whether your baby is a girl or a boy, and spot any possible complications early in the pregnancy, so they can be addressed as quickly as possible. If you’ve never had an ultrasound before, don’t worry! It’s a simple and quick process of taking a picture inside your belly, and it doesn’t hurt at all. :)
Step 3: Get the Help You Need
Taking good care of yourself and your baby during this time is pretty important! Having a safe and comfortable place to stay, healthy food to eat, and vitamins to help your baby grow are important right now. Lifetime Adoption can help you with these things if you need it.
Step 4: Fill Out Some Paperwork
At this point we’ll mail you some forms to fill out. You’ll answer some questions about you and your medical history, and also the amount of contact you want to have after the adoption is complete. This packet has some information on adoptive families and resources for you, too.
Just send the paperwork back in the postage paid envelope, and you’re on your way to speaking with some potential families.
Step 5: Decide on an Adoptive Family
Now you can view adoptive family profiles online! All of the families have been through a thorough screening, which includes a background check and home inspection. It’s good to look at the whole profile of each family, and then choose a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice. You can get more information on each family by mail.
There are families who want to adopt all types of children. Regardless of age, race, or a medical condition, there’s a loving family available who can provide a loving family for your child.
Step 6: Speak With Potential Families
Speaking with adoptive families will help answer more detailed questions about the type of home your child would be going to live in. Questions about religion, financial stability of the family, and their willingness to include you in the child’s life, if you choose, can all be answered at this time.
If you’re uncomfortable talking with the families, your pregnancy counselor can help you, and provide examples of questions you might want to ask.
Step 7: Find Your Match
Once you have met with and chosen a family to adopt your child, and both of you feel good about the partnership, you will be considered “matched.” You and the adoptive parents you’ve chosen can stay in touch through the rest of your pregnancy if you desire. You will also talk to an adoption attorney who will help answer any legal questions you might have.
There are many resources available to birth mothers who choose an open adoption, from medical care, to help with living expenses, and scholarships. Choosing adoption can be a way to turn a stressful situation into a chance for growth and opportunity for you and your baby. Call Lifetime Adoption at 800.923.6784 to get started finding a loving family for your child.
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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