Frequently Asked Questions About Adoption

Do you have questions about the adoption process as a birth parent? Below you’ll find answers to questions frequently asked about domestic adoption by pregnant women and mothers considering adoption. If you don’t find the answers to your questions, please contact us and we’ll answer any questions you have.

Is your baby’s mother considering adoption? Take a look at our Birth Father Questions.

Do you have adoption questions that aren’t answered here? Please pick up the phone. Call us or text us and feel the relief of talking about your pregnancy and adoption options: 1-800-923-6784.

Lifetime is here for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are not alone!

Click on any question below to read the answer.

Questions About Lifetime Adoption

Why choose Lifetime Adoption Center?

Questions About Adoption in General

Why would I give my baby away?

Why choose adoption?

Is it selfish to consider adoption?

Is open adoption safe & legal?

What is Open or Semi Open Adoption?

So what’s the next step?

What is the adoption process like if I’m pregnant?

What is the adoption process like if my child is already born?

What is the adoption process like if I call from the hospital or if I just delivered my baby?

Adoption or abortion: What’s the right choice?

Are there any costs to me?

Can I get help with my expenses?

What age range are most of your birth mothers?

What if I go into labor, can you work with me from the hospital?

Some of my friends say I should keep my baby and that children belong with their birth parents, what should I do?

I am a single parent and facing a prison sentence of quite a few years. Can you help me find adoptive parents for my children, even though they are not newborns?

My parents are kicking me out of the house because I am pregnant. Do you have a home for mothers or a place for me to go?

Is there counseling available for me in my home state?

How long do I have to decide?

I’ve used drugs during my pregnancy. Is adoption an option for my baby?

Is there help for me after the adoption?

Do I have to meet with an adoption counselor in person?

I’m hiding my pregnancy. Is adoption confidential?

What if I change my mind about the adoption?

Questions About the Adoptive Families

How are adoptive families screened?

If I don’t see a family on the site that meets my needs, do you have other families to select from?

Can I select a family from a state other than my own?

How soon can I see waiting couples or match with an adoptive family?

How do I use the Lifetime site to find a family? Once I do, how do I contact them?

Could I meet the adoptive parents?

I noticed some of the adoptive couples only want a girl or a boy. Why?

How soon after birth is the baby placed with the adoptive family?

What kind of adoptive parents can I choose from to adopt my child?

Will the parents I choose want to adopt my baby?

What if I want to choose the parents who adopt my baby, but don’t feel comfortable keeping in touch later on?

How do I know my baby will be safe with the adoptive couple?

Questions About Me and the Father

I am married and the father of the baby is not my husband. Can you help?

I’ve been dating the father of my baby. Wouldn’t it be better if we just got married and tried to raise the child together even if I don’t love him?

Does my baby’s father have a say?

Questions About My Baby or Child

Can I see my baby in the hospital?

Can my family see the baby and receive updates too?

Can I ever see my child again?

My child is older; do you have families that are interested in older children?

What if my child has a disability or medical problem, do you have adoptive families available? I don’t want my child put into foster care, can you help?

My child has been removed from my home and is in foster care now, but my rights have not been terminated, can I still work with your program and find a family to adopt my child?

My baby will be African American-do you have black families available?

Will my baby go to foster care before going to the adoptive parents I choose?

I don’t have U.S. citizenship and I’m an undocumented immigrant. Can I still make an adoption plan for my baby?