How to Give a Baby Up For Adoption in a Different State

by | Mar 22, 2019 | Birth Parent Blog

Woman searching on phone for how to give baby up for adoptionIf you’re a woman thinking about adoption and have been searching the internet for “how to give baby up for adoption”, we know that you want to find the perfect adoptive family for your baby. But what if the perfect family doesn’t live in your state? If this is the case for you, you might be wondering:

“Can I place my baby for adoption in a different state?”
“Can an adoptive couple from another state adopt my baby?”
“I want to give my baby up for adoption outside of my state — is that possible?”

The answer to all of these questions is “yes!” Lifetime Adoption works with hopeful adoptive couples in all the states across the nation. So, you’re not limited to adoptive parents in your own state or city. We will help you find the perfect family for your baby, no matter where they live. You can start searching for an adoptive family today by visiting our Find a Family page, or by calling Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784.

When you choose an adoptive couple who don’t live in your state, it’s known as an “interstate adoption.” You might be wondering just how an interstate adoption works. Here, you can learn about the process of how you can place your baby in a different state with the perfect adoptive parents.

How Does a Couple in Another State Adopt My Baby?

For birth mothers, the interstate adoption process isn’t much different than it is for in-state adoptions. No matter where you and the adoptive parents live, you still have the opportunity to create your own adoption plan, decide on your preferences for an adoptive family, review adoptive family profiles, and choose the right one for your baby!

Here are the 5 steps to take to choose an adoptive couple in a different state:

different-state2-1Step #1: Look at Adoptive Family Profiles
During the adoption process with Lifetime, many birth mothers choose a family from another state. Some birth mothers desire distance in their adoption relationship, so they purposefully pick an adoptive couple in another state. But usually, birth mothers just happen to choose a family who lives out of state, because the adoptive family meets all of their preferences.

When you start creating your adoption plan, your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime will help you find out what you’re hoping for in adoptive parents for your baby. You can tell her, “I want to give my baby up for adoption somewhere outside of my state,” and she’ll only show you adoptive families that fit this requirement. If you’d like, you can pick what state you want your child to grow up in.

Your Adoption Coordinator will send you adoptive family profiles so that you can learn more about each family and decide which ones you would like to speak with. You can pick people from another state to adopt your baby, or you can change your mind and pick a family in your state. The choice is yours!

Step #2: Get to Know the Adoptive Family
No matter how many miles separate you, you can still come to know the adoptive couple over the phone, through emails, text messages, and more. If you’d like, your Adoption Coordinator can be a part of your first conversation with the adoptive parents, to make sure you are comfortable.

Step #3: Labor & Delivery
When you go into labor, the adoptive couple you’ve chosen will travel to the hospital you’ll deliver at. All of Lifetime’s adoptive families know that their baby could be born out of their state, at any time. They’re ready to travel at a moment’s notice, regardless of how far away they live. Lifetime will help you make an Adoption Hospital Plan, which declares things like who can be with you in the delivery room, whether you’d like time alone with your baby and more.

Step #4: Sign Adoption Paperwork
After your baby is born, you’ll sign paperwork consenting to the adoption. The time frame for this paperwork varies depending on your state. To make sure you know your rights before you sign anything, an adoption attorney can help.

Before the adoptive couple can go back to their state with your baby, they have to go through a paperwork process to complete the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). This lets officials in your state and the family’s state review the adoption and make sure your baby is going to a safe, loving home. Lifetime Adoption will make sure that the adoption professionals working on this part of your baby’s adoption will be keeping your baby’s well-being in mind at every step of this legal process.

As the adoptive family waits in your state for ICPC, you can spend that time getting to know them better before they go back home. And if you’d like, you can also see your baby during this time. Many birth mothers and adoptive families in out-of-state adoptions have enjoyed using this time to form a solid relationship.

Step #5: Maintain an Open Adoption
After you place, you will continue your relationship with contact, if you chose open adoption. You can stay in touch with your child and the adoptive parents for many years, no matter if they live close or far away from you.

In an out-of-state adoption, you can still design an open adoption that works the way you would like it to, whether that means photos, emails, texts, social media posts, phone calls, or visits. No matter the distance, you have the right to open adoption. You can choose an adoptive family in a different state and still have the kind of open adoption you want. And Lifetime Adoption is always here to help.

If you’re thinking, “I want to give my baby up for adoption to adoptive parents in another state,” please contact Lifetime Adoption today by calling or texting
1-800-923-6784.

Your call is confidential, free, and doesn’t obligate you to go forward with adoption.

 

Heather Featherston

Written by Heather Featherston

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.

Read more about Heather Featherston

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