Adoption Oregon

Oregon 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 in Oregon
or
Information about adopting a child in Oregon

The American Northwest is a beautiful spot, filled with nature and wonder. Whether you live in Portland, the surrounding area, or anywhere else in Oregon, you are given the gift of ideal surroundings at all times. Lifetime Adoption works with birth mothers to find families considering adopting a child in Oregon that are as perfect as the gorgeous Oregon landscape.

Pregnant and Considering Adoption in Oregon

Are you pregnant and considering adoption? Or has your child already been born, and now adoption seems like the best option? Maybe you are facing a situation wherein you are a birth mother whose partner is no longer in the picture, and you are finding it difficult to parent alone. Whatever the situation is, you probably have a lot of questions, and as a licensed adoption agency in Oregon, Lifetime Adoption has the answers you need.

What is the Adoption Process in Oregon?

First, call, text, or fill out our online form. A Lifetime coordinator will walk through the adoption process with you and discuss your wishes and what resources and support you may require.

Choose an Adoptive Family For Your Child

Next, if you like, you can view adoptive family profiles and choose which family you feel is perfect for your baby. Our adoptive family search tool lets you search for families by whatever is important to you. If you want to choose a family from Oregon or another state, you can select to see only adoptive families that meet those criteria. If it’s important to you that the adoptive couple be of a certain race or follow a certain religion, then you can search by those criteria as well. The amount of contact you want with that family while expecting and after the baby is born is also up to you.

Hospital Plan and Legal Representation

Your adoption coordinator will help you create a hospital plan that will dictate who will be in the delivery room, who will hold the baby, who will feed the baby, and who will leave the hospital first, in addition to other details. You will also have a legal representative, at no cost to you, who will ensure you understand all your rights and answer all your questions. Lifetime Adoption coordinators have been guiding birth mothers in Oregon through the adoption process for over 30 years. Get in touch with us so we can help you.

Child Already Born?

If you are struggling to parent a toddler or older child (up to age 6) and you are researching how to put a child up for adoption, a professional counselor will help you create a plan to make the transition healthy for you, your child, and the adoptive family.

Get In Touch

Open Adoption in Oregon

A lot of people still view adoption as it was thought of in the 1950’s. Today, modern, open adoption gives you control over decisions about what’s best for your baby. This may include things such as who will adopt your baby and how much contact to have or not have in the future. Your Lifetime Adoption Coordinator will get to know you and will create a personalized adoption plan for you and your baby.

Questions Your Coordinator May Ask You

You can expect some questions, such as:

Would you like to view adoptive parent profiles or have a coordinator choose a family for you?
What kind of contact would you like in the future with the adoptive family?
Who do you want at the hospital when you deliver, and how would you like everything to go during your hospital stay?
Should the adoptive parents be part of your prenatal care, such as going to appointments with you?
Are you in need of any assistance with pregnancy-related expenses?

The reality of life is that sometimes parenting is not the best choice for some people. In this case, placing your child for adoption is a loving and selfless choice. Additionally, there is a family that is so excited to love a child and grow their family through adoption. You do not have to say goodbye to your child forever. You can receive updates, pictures, and even schedule visits once or twice a year. Many of our Lifetime birth mothers have amazing relationships with the adoptive family of their child. Recently, one of our birth mothers became engaged, and asked for her daughter to be a flower girl in her wedding. Not only did her daughter attend, the adoptive parents came along and the adoptive father actually walked her down the aisle.

Help With Pregnancy Expenses and More

Emily contacted Lifetime because she wanted to place her baby for adoption. She was homeless and decided she didn’t want her baby to grow up on the street. Additionally, she needed to change how her life was going. Now, facing an unexpected pregnancy and the expenses to go along with it, she didn’t know where to turn. Her Lifetime Adoption coordinator explained that in the state of Oregon, pregnancy-related expenses can be paid by the adopting parents. These expenses may include:

Medical and hospital costs incurred due to the pregnancy
Temporary living expenses of the birth mother
Professional counseling fees
Legal fees and guardian ad litem fees
Food and utility costs during pregnancy

Not only are these resources available, but one of the most important resources available through Lifetime Adoption is professional and peer counseling at no cost. You can speak with a professional counselor who can help you understand and deal with the emotions you have and the decisions you need to make. You can also speak with a peer counselor. She is a woman who has been through the adoption process herself. These women will share their stories and help you with your adoption journey. They will share their stories and help you with your adoption journey.

Families Wanting to Adopt in Oregon

Starting a family can be a labor of love. Not only are there many reasons to choose adoption, but there are also many Oregon adoption agencies to consult. We hope that our desire to provide support for birth mothers while uniting families with children in the most loving way possible sets us apart. Our agency was founded in 1986 by Mardie Caldwell, who was called to help birth mothers after her own struggle with infertility and ultimately the adoption of her own child.

As a licensed Oregon adoption agency, Lifetime is dedicated to supporting birth families and guiding adoptive families on their adoption journey. We assist expectant birth mothers with their hospital plans and make sure they receive all the resources and support they need, such as counseling before and after the adoption. Additionally, if the adoption is for an older child, we guide birth parents on how to put a child up for adoption and help create a transition plan with the adoptive family.

Beginning the Adoption Process

To get your adoption story started, just fill out our short online application. Submitting your application is free and does not obligate you to move forward in any way. Once your application is reviewed and pre-approved, you will be contacted by an adoptive family coordinator who will describe the Lifetime adoption process. She will explain how you will create your profile, how you will schedule your home study, and introduce you to all the benefits and resources available to you through the Lifetime membership site. If you have any additional questions, you can give your coordinator a call at 727-493-0933.

Read Birth Parent Stories

While you are waiting, look through the  stories from some of our birth parents. We do not publish personal information, but we do wish to share their stories. These are real birth mothers and fathers who simply want what is best for their children. Reading their stories may move you to act sooner rather than later.

Begin by completing our free online application. This no-obligation application will hasten the process of starting your family. You can also call or text with us at any time. We are eager to help your Oregon adoption begin.

Cost of Adoption in Oregon

The choice you make regarding the type of domestic adoption you desire will impact the cost of adoption in Oregon. In addition, factors such as whether you are adopting from Oregon or another state can impact your costs. The adoption professionals you hire and the requirements mandated by the states involved in the adoption can also add additional costs to your adoption.

Home Study

One mandatory task for all adoptive families is to complete a home study. You will choose a provider who sets the cost. You can expect to pay between $2,000 to $4,000 for the home study process. The Oregon state home study costs will cover background checks, financial verifications, FBI fingerprinting, and the social worker’s expenses, such as time for visits and creating the report.

Adoption Agency

The cost of adoption in Oregon will also be impacted by your choice to hire an adoption agency or not. An adoption agency will assist you on your adoption journey. An agency will help families connect with birth mothers and will help screen birth parents, which can protect adoptive parents from any deceitful situations. An agency not only guides adoptive parents on their adoption journey, they also provide pregnancy support and counseling for birth parents. You can expect an agency’s fees to be about $25,000 and up to $50,000.

Legal Services

Legal services are another adoption expense that will arise once you are matched with an expectant mother or a child. Both you and the birth parents will need to have legal representation paid for out of your budget. These costs generally range from around $8,000 to $15,000, and the total will depend on many factors, such as the legal requirements by state and other factors that may be unique to your adoption.

Birth Mother Expenses

Some birth mothers may be in a situation where they need help with pregnancy-related expenses. In Oregon, this can include food, medical, rent, clothing, utilities, transportation, and more. These regulations do vary by state. Budgeting around $5,000 for these expenses is generally suitable, as this is about the average Lifetime Adoption birth mothers in need of financial costs generally receive. These funds must be approved and dispensed legally, so your attorney and agency will work with you and the birth mother to make sure all is done according to state law.

You can expect the total cost of domestic adoption to generally range from around $38,000 to $70,000. It is important to understand the potential expenses budget for them accordingly.

Lower Cost Forms of Adoption

If the cost of domestic adoption is out of your budget, the foster system or AdoptUSKids is a lower-cost option you could pursue. There are many children in the foster care system waiting to be adopted. With foster care adoption, the state covers the adoption costs. Generally, children available to be adopted in foster care may have special needs or are older (over eight years old). As adoptive parents, you would be required to participate in parenting education. This education will focus on what you can expect when adopting a child with special needs, an older child. If you dream of adopting a newborn, toddler, or child under five years old, this can be hard to achieve through the foster care system.

One other option is international (or intercountry) adoption. If you choose this route, consult with an adoption agency specializing in international adoption and licensed with a good track record of successful adoption in your chosen country. Take the time to research what countries are currently allowing international adoption and review their rules. Generally, international adoption involves toddlers or older children, not newborn babies. Take into account the risks involved in international adoption. Countries can change their adoption laws or close adoptions before your adoption is complete. Sadly, many families hoping to adopt from Haiti and Ukraine experienced this situation. These families may end up in limbo for months or even years, and the fees they paid to an agency or other adoption professionals may not be refunded. Regarding cost, domestic and international adoption are generally very similar.

Adoption Laws in Oregon

All the legal aspects of an Oregon adoption must be followed precisely. Your Lifetime Adoption Coordinator and your adoption attorney will manage the adoption process correctly.
A birth father can sign consent papers anytime before or after the birth of the child. The birth mother can only sign consent after the birth. Once the certificate of irrevocability is signed, the adoption is final.

More About Oregon Home Studies

Throughout the United States, home studies are a requirement of the adoption process. The home study is meant to confirm an adoptive family’s ability to provide a safe and loving home for a child or children. This is a legal document and must be conducted by a certified home study provider in Oregon.

The home study will include the following:

Verification of Employment
Background/Criminal checks
Medical Reports from Your Doctor
References may be Requested
Visit of the home by the home study provider

Your Oregon home study social worker will also ask for documents such as marriage certificates, birth certificates, and any other relevant documentation.

You may be hoping to adopt or are a parent considering placing your child for adoption in Oregon. Contact a Lifetime Adoption Coordinator today who will work with you and will provide all the information and support you need to have a successful adoption journey.