Adoption in San Diego, CA

San Diego Adoption, Home Studies and More

Adoption Services for
Birth Parents and Adoptive Families

Please choose where you’d like to begin:

Information about placing
a child for adoption
or
Information about adopting a child

Help for Pregnant Women in San Diego

Are you experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and are feeling afraid, confused, and maybe alone? If you are not ready to be a parent, the reality of a pregnancy can be hard to deal with. However, you do have options, and adoption is a positive choice. You can provide a wonderful life for your baby and help a couple create the family they dream of. Lifetime Adoption can help.

The modern, open adoption process is not well known by many. At Lifetime Adoption, the coordinators are available to give you the support and guidance you need. Just give us a call or text 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you will find a kind can caring adoption coordinator on the other end.

Sometimes the best thing for yourself and your baby is to find a loving home with adoptive parents who are ready emotionally and financially for a baby. Your adoption coordinator at Lifetime Adoption can help you make an adoption plan. With open adoption, you are the one to make all the decisions. You choose the adoptive parents by looking through profiles and deciding who you would like to parent your baby. Then, you decide how much contact you would like to have with the family once the adoption process is complete. You will even be the one to decide how things will go at the hospital.

An unexpected pregnancy can bring along unexpected expenses. Covering these expenses can be difficult for some women. Help is available. Your adoption coordinator can help you get access to the resources you need. In California, pregnant women who choose adoption are allowed to receive assistance with maternity clothing, medical costs, rent, food, transportation to doctor’s appointments, and other pregnancy-related expenses. Your Lifetime adoption coordinator will make sure all of your needs with these expenses are met!

You may be a parent who is struggling to raise an infant, toddler, or a young child. Adoption is still an option. At Lifetime, we have families that are very open to adopting toddlers, older children, sibling sets, and special needs children. There are excellent adoptive parents for every child.
Making that first call to a San Diego adoption agency can be hard. Choosing adoption is a difficult decision. Reach out to Lifetime and you will find a caring adoption coordinator. She will provide you with all the information you need, answer all the questions you have without judgment and with honesty.
Give a call or text to Lifetime Adoption anytime.

Adoption Agencies in San Diego, CA

At Lifetime Adoption, we can help you place your child for adoption. We have adoptive parents nationwide hopeful to adopt. A Lifetime adoption coordinator will explain what the adoption process will support you throughout your adoption journey.
At Lifetime Adoption, your coordinator will make sure you have:

Help and support are available 24-hour, seven days a week
Help with pregnancy-related expenses
Referrals for peer and professional counseling
A wide variety of adoptive parent profiles. Our families have all completed their home studies, including background checks.
Additional support for you after the adoption
Maternity clothes, labor bag, and toiletries if you need them.
And much more!

Adoption Counseling in San Diego

Adoption is not an easy choice, and counseling can be very helpful. Taking advantage of the professional and peer counseling available through Lifetime Adoption is recommended. A professional counselor can help you work through the decision-making process and deal with all the emotions that you may experience during your adoption journey.

Another popular resource at Lifetime Adoption is peer counseling. Speaking with another birth mother who has gone through the adoption process can be very important. If you are unsure how to tell your family or the baby’s father about your pregnancy or adoption plans, she can give you some tips. You may not be sure if adoption is the right choice for you. She can share her story and give you advice based on what she experienced.

Maternity Hospitals in San Diego

Do you feel anxiety at the thought of delivering your baby? How would you like things to go at the hospital? Your Lifetime adoption coordinator will help you create a hospital plan that fits your needs by finding out what is important to you. She will ask you a lot of questions such as:

Who do you want in the room during delivery?
Who would you like to cut the cord?
Would you like the adoptive parents to come to the hospital when you go into labor?
Do you want to hold your baby, and if so, would you like to be the first, or would you like the adoptive parents to be the first?
Would you prefer to leave the hospital before your baby or after?

The purpose of the hospital plan is to make sure you are comfortable at the hospital. Your Lifetime adoption coordinator will coordinate with the adoptive parents and the hospital staff to make sure everyone is on the same page, and your wishes are followed.
In the San Diego area, the hospitals with labor and delivery services are:
Sharp Mary Birch Hospital
Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
Scripps Memorial
UCSD Medical Center
Whichever hospital you decide to deliver at, we can work with them. Even if your plans don’t go as expected, our experienced adoption coordinators can handle them. They have worked with women across the country who have given birth at home and even women who went into labor while traveling out of state.

More Helpful Resources for Pregnant Women in San Diego

Are you in San Diego and dealing with an unexpected pregnancy? This can be scary and overwhelming if you feel this is not the right time to parent. You do have options, and an adoption coordinator at Lifetime can connect you with the information and resources you need. You want to be sure you have all the facts and are in a place of stability and not a place of panic before you make your decisions.

If domestic violence is an issue in your life or you are homeless, it is very important you find a safe place to be. Here are some resources for women’s shelters in San Diego and the surrounding area:

YMCA of San Diego

Interfaith Shelter

Many people are dealing with hunger these days, and if you are pregnant or the mother of young children, it can be very alarming. The WIC program is a great resource for you. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and provides you with an EBT card to purchase healthy food such as vegetables, whole grains, cheese, fruit, eggs, whole grains, and milk. They can also offer referrals to local services. Learn more by visiting their website:

WIC – in San Diego

Many people also struggle with addiction, and if you have this struggle, it is vital to find professional help. A treatment center can provide a road to recovery. Since it can be dangerous to abruptly stop using drugs if you have an addiction to prescription drugs or opiates, treatment is important. A treatment center has the ability to offer medications (like methadone and suboxone) that will help you slowly wean off the drugs. Counseling will also be important to help you understand and overcome your addiction. Here are a few resources in San Diego:

Fashion Valley Comprehensive Treatment Center

El Dorado Community Service Center

Soledad House

A Lifetime Adoption coordinator can help you access any additional resources you may need. She will answer any questions you have or any issues or concerns that need addressing confidentially. We can help with prenatal care, maternity clothes, pregnancy verification, rent, transportation, and more. Call or text today.

How to Start the Adoption Process

So now that you have an idea about how modern adoption works, your next question is probably, “How do I get this adoption process started?” First, you just call or text Lifetime Adoption or go online and fill out the contact form. An adoption coordinator will explain the steps of your adoption plan and make sure you have all of the adoption services you need. She will talk with you about any concerns or needs you have and will answer all your questions. An adoption coordinator that is caring, kind, and non-judgmental will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Adoptive family’s online profiles are available so you can learn as much about the Lifetime families as possible. You will find letters and even video messages to watch. As the birth mother, you choose what qualities you are looking for in adoptive parents. You will choose the parents you feel are right for you and your baby.
Just click here to view adoptive family profiles online. You might want a family from California or somewhere else in the U.S. Once you have chosen a family, your Lifetime adoption coordinator will help you talk or text with them. Next, you can then begin building a relationship with them if you choose. Your coordinator will guide you and the adoptive family through this entire process.

You may be in need of community resources in the San Diego area. Your adoption coordinator will connect you with those resources. You may need prenatal care and need transportation to get to the doctor, for example. Your coordinator will help arrange that for you. Just give us a call or text today!

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in San Diego

If you feel parenting is not right for you now but may be in the near future, foster care may be an option for you. If your baby should be born with exposure to substances, San Diego Child Welfare Services may decide to place your baby in the foster care program with or without your approval. Unfortunately, with foster care, you will not be able to choose who your baby is placed with or what ongoing contact you can have. You do have a choice. Before CWS places your child, you can contact Lifetime and choose adoptive parents to raise your child.

Another adoption option is relative or kinship adoption. If you have a family member who is usually blood-related to the child, and interested in adopting they can apply to adopt your child. Know that this type of adoption comes with its own set of challenges. It can be a great solution. Be sure the adopting relative understands they are not just helping out. Adoption is permanent, and they will be responsible for raising this child to adulthood. There are also often some issues with boundaries. What this adoption looks like will really need to be worked out ahead of time.

You are the one who needs to decide which type of adoption is best for you and for your baby. Talk to a Lifetime adoption coordinator who can go over all of these adoption options with you. Together, you can choose the right path for you and your baby.

Adopting in San Diego

Adoption is an exciting and life-changing decision. If you are in San Diego and are planning on adopting, the Lifetime Adoption coordinators are here to guide you on your adoption journey. Our coordinators make adoption dreams come true. They will answer all of your questions and describe the whole adoption process. You will learn what to expect and all about modern open domestic adoption.

Making sure everyone in the adoption triad, the birth mother, adoptive parents, and the child are happy with the outcome is a priority at Lifetime Adoption. If you are in San Diego and are interested in adopting a newborn baby or child that is up to the age of six, give us a call at 760-747-9940. You can get a free online adoption application on our website. You will find all the adoption information you need there, along with other adoption resources.
We at Lifetime Adoption are committed to providing you with all the resources, education, referrals, and support you need to make your adoption dreams come true.

Begin the Adoption Process

This seems like a lot of information, and it is. Don’t worry, though. You do not have to navigate this process on your own. It’s easy to get started. Just fill out our online application. Applying is free and does not obligate you in any way.

When you are pre-approved, a Lifetime adoption coordinator will contact you. She will answer all your questions and will get to know you. She will find out what your adoption expectations and dreams are. Your adoption coordinator will also take the information to create the best individualized plan to create a successful adoption for you.

Adoption Attorneys in San Diego

It is important to have an adoption attorney be a part of your adoption process. Adoption laws are often complex. Filing all the proper documents and scheduling the hearings are important. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will be glad to refer an adoption attorney to you in the San Diego area.

Home Study Services in San Diego

Whether you choose domestic, international, or foster adoption, a home study is necessary. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will refer a Home Study Services provider in San Diego to you.
Part of your home study will include background checks, employment information, financial verification, education hours, and a home visit. These are all parts of the home study. Your adoption coordinator will guide you through the process.
How does the home study process work in San Diego? When completing a home study, you will submit fingerprints for a criminal background check. You will also need to gather the following documents.

Financial and Employment Statements such as paystubs, profit, and loss statements if self-employed and tax returns.
Medical Statements from your doctors verifying your mental and physical and well-being and attesting to the fact that every adult living in the home is free from tuberculosis
Three written references are needed attesting to the couple being suitable to adopt a child
Verification of marital status whether, single, married, or divorced

You will work with a home study provider who will gather all of your information and will set up a time for a home visit. The visit is meant to ensure you have a safe and adequate home to raise a child in. They will want to find out what your views are regarding parenting, marriage, and family. Everyone in the home will be interviewed by your home study social worker and she will compile all of this information into a report.

Finalization of Adoption at Court

Once you have a completed your home study, you have a birth mother match, and your baby has arrived, you are on your way to the final step.
In general, the finalization of adoption in California mandates that it will be no less than six months from when you take the baby into your care. There will be one interview with your home study social worker in your home and then an additional three visits within a six-month period.

Your adoption attorney will file all required paperwork with the courthouse and will set a hearing date. In the San Diego area, that will be at the San Diego Superior Courthouse. At the hearing, the judge will review all documents and your home study and will then issue the final decree of adoption. This will be a very happy day, so be ready to take shed a few tears and celebrate. Your adoption will now be final.

Other Paths to Adoption

SanDiego International Adoption Agencies

Which adoption path to choose is a very important decision. Some families consider international adoption because they feel called to help a child that is in need in another country.
International adoption comes with its own unique set of choices. One of those is which country you want to adopt from. There are many factors to consider. What is the political climate of the country? What are the laws and requirements of the country? Those and many other factors will influence a family’s decision regarding which country to pursue.

Working with an agency that specializes in international adoption and works in the country you are interested in is very important. You will want to confirm they have a history of successful adoptions in the country of your choice. Some of the more popular countries are in Eastern European countries and the nations of Africa and China. Here are some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Holt International

Foster Care Adoption

The foster care system is another avenue to adopt. You will need to reach out to the foster care program in your county. In San Diego, you will reach out to the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. You will let them know you are interested in becoming a Resource Family with hopes to adopt.
To qualify as a foster parent in San Diego, you will need to:

Must be 18 years old
Prove yourself to be a homeowner or renter
Show that you can meet the financial needs of a family

You can view waiting for children in the foster care system in San Diego. You can also view children waiting in the foster care system in other states at AdoptUSKids. This is a nationwide project that allows you to view children available for adoption across the entire country.