Adoption Odessa

Odessa 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

In the Odessa, TX area, Lifetime Adoption can provide all the information you need regarding open adoption. Lifetime coordinators have worked successfully to match birth parents and adoptive parents for over three decades. They support birth mothers throughout the adoption process and after and work with adoptive families to help them fulfill their adoption dreams.

For over three decades and as one of the leaders in modern, open adoption, our experienced coordinators have provided one-on-one support and resources such as counseling, articles, webinars, podcasts, and referrals.

Help for Pregnant Women in Odessa

When you are facing an unexpected pregnancy in Odessa, you may feel confused and unsure of what to do. Open, modern adoption is an option you may not have thought of. At Lifetime Adoption, an adoption coordinator can explain what open adoption is, help you make an adoption plan, and help you get access to the resources you need. For all the help and information you need, just call or text our Lifetime Adoption coordinators 24 hours a day.

With open adoption, you make the choices for you and your baby, such as who will adopt your baby and how much contact you will have after the adoption is final. Modern, open adoption can be a great option if parenting is not currently the best option for you and your child. It is a truly loving choice to place your child with loving adoptive parents who are both financially and emotionally ready for a baby.

Many pregnant women experience some unexpected expenses along with their unplanned pregnancy. In the Odessa area, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will connect you with all the resources and assistance you need. As a pregnant woman in Odessa, TX, who is choosing adoption, you can ask for help with pregnancy-related expenses. During your pregnancy and up until six weeks after the birth, you can receive assistance for food, rent, transportation to doctor appointments, phone, clothes, and other pregnancy-related items.

If you already have a child or children and are struggling to raise your toddler or young children for any reason, Lifetime Adoption can also help. Adoption is not just about newborns. Lifetime Adoption has many adoptive families excited to grow their families by adopting a toddler, older child, sibling group, or special needs child.

At Lifetime, we understand that picking up that phone and calling an Odessa adoption agency can be difficult. Whenever you call or text Lifetime Adoption, you can be sure that you will be connected with a caring and non-judgmental adoption coordinator. She is ready to support you throughout the entire adoption process and after.

Call or text Lifetime Adoption now.

Adoption Help in the Odessa Area

Your caring coordinator at Lifetime Adoption will assist you in placing your newborn, toddler, or young child with a loving adoptive family. She will also support you throughout your adoption journey. She can help you with resources such as:

Maternity clothes, labor bags, toiletries, and more
Lifetime Adoption family profiles
24/7 help and support
The opportunity to receive assistance for pregnancy-related expenses
Referrals for professional and peer counseling
Additional support such as counseling after the adoption is final
And so much more!

Adoption Counseling in Odessa

Counseling is an important resource during the adoption process, which can be an emotional journey. At Lifetime Adoption, this is made available at no charge to you. Your adoption coordinator will arrange a session with an independent professional counselor if you would like.

Another option is to speak with a birth mother who has experienced her own adoption process. At Lifetime there are peer counselors available at no cost. Everyone has their own adoption story, but she will understand your feelings and can offer advice, and is someone to talk to who has been in your shoes.

Maternity Hospitals in Odessa

Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator is ready to help you create your own hospital plan. This can help ease any feelings of anxiety when you go into labor. You will decide things such as:

When you go into labor, who do you want in the room with you?
Who would you like to cut the umbilical cord?
Who do you want to hold and feed the baby first?
Do you want to leave the hospital before or after your baby does?

The hospital staff and adoptive family will all be given the plan by your adoption coordinator ahead of time. Everyone will know and understand your wishes.

In the Odessa area, the hospitals with labor and delivery services are:

Odessa Regional Medical Center
Medical Center Health Systems

Don’t worry if you change your mind about some of your choices or if anything unexpected happens. Lifetime Adoption coordinators have a lot of experience and can help work through any situation.

More Helpful Resources for Pregnant Women in Odessa

When you experience an unexpected pregnancy during a difficult time in your life, it can be overwhelming. Lifetime Adoption coordinators can help you find the resources and information you need to make a good decision about your pregnancy for you and your baby. It is important to come from a place of stability, not a place of crisis, when making these decisions.

If you are currently experiencing homelessness or find yourself a victim of domestic violence, it is vital to find a safe place for yourself to live. Here are a few local resources for women’s shelters in Odessa and the surrounding area:

Crisis Center of West Texas

Jesus House Odessa

Door of Hope

Are you in Odessa and experiencing hunger? This is a serious issue for pregnant women or mothers of young children. Help is available through the WIC program in Odessa. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and provides an EBT card to purchase healthy food, including eggs, milk, vegetables, whole grains, cheese, and fruit. They also have referrals for local resources. Learn more by visiting their website:

WIC – in Odessa, TX

Are you pregnant and struggling with addiction? Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator can help you find the treatment you need. It can be dangerous for you and your baby to stop using drugs without consulting with a doctor. If you are addicted to opiates or prescription drugs, a treatment center can help by offering medications (like methadone and suboxone). This can slowly wean you off the opiates in a way that is safe. You will also have access to counseling and support services. Here are a few resources in Odessa:

West Texas Counseling & Rehab

Clover House

If there are additional resources and support you are in need of, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator can help. She can provide confidential assistance to help you overcome any issues or concerns you have. For example, we can help with rent, transportation, pregnancy verification, transportation, maternity clothes, prenatal care, etc. Call or text today.

How to Start the Adoption Process in Odessa

So how do you get the adoption process started? It’s easy. Just call or text Lifetime Adoption to connect with a coordinator or fill out the contact form online. An adoption coordinator will go over the adoption process with you and make sure you have the resources you need. A Lifetime Adoption coordinator is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will provide you with the support you need.

You will find Adoptive family profiles online, and your coordinator can send you some expanded profiles of families that she feels are a good match for you and your baby. This is how you will learn about the families at Lifetime hoping to adopt. In addition, you can view personal letters watch video messages, and when you find a family or families you are interested in, you can speak with them.

To view Lifetime Adoptive family profiles online, click here. You can decide what is important to you in a family, such as whether they live in Texas or a different state. Whether they have other children or not, whether they live in the city or country. Whatever is important to you in a family, we will help you find them.

Give us a call or text to get started.

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in Odessa

Do you feel that parenting is not right for you now, but do you believe your current situation may improve in the near future? Foster care is an option you could consider. Maybe your baby has shown signs of exposure to substances, and the Texas Department of Families and Protective Services is at the hospital to place your child in foster care. If you believe you can take the necessary steps to get on track and get custody back, this temporary foster care may work, but there are pros and cons to consider. For example, with foster placement, you generally will not be able to choose who your baby is placed with or what contact you can have when this happens.

Another alternative is to make an adoption plan before your baby is placed through CPS. You then remain in control and choose the parents for your baby.

Kinship or relative adoption is another option you can consider. If you have a family member interested in adopting your child and you feel they would be great parents, this can be a great solution. However, as with every option, there are pros and cons to consider. This can cause strain in a family, and boundaries can be hard to figure out.

Speak with your Lifetime coordinator or a counselor to make sure you think about all the pros and cons. This is a big decision so think it through carefully.

Adopting in Odessa

Would you like to know more about how to grow your family through domestic, open adoption in the Odessa area? Lifetime Adoption coordinators are available to share with you how open adoption works and how to get started on your adoption journey.

At Lifetime Adoption, our highly experienced adoption coordinators are experts at matching birth parents with adoptive parents. With a wealth of adoption resources and materials at their fingertips, you will have access to professional referrals, educational resources, and one-on-one support, so your adoption dreams come true.

If you are in the Odessa area and would like more information about how to adopt a newborn or a child up to the age of six, you can reach out to us at 727-493-0933 or fill out our free online adoption application.

Begin the Adoption Process

So, let’s start your adoption journey! Simply fill out our online application. When you fill out the application, it will be reviewed, and then you will be contacted by a Lifetime coordinator. To fill out the application does not obligate you in any way, and it is free. However, it will give you the opportunity to find out more about the open adoption process.

Adoption Attorneys in Odessa

Adoption laws are different to some degree in every state and must be followed. When you are matched with a birth mother, your Lifetime coordinator will refer an adoption attorney in your area or in the birth mother’s state, depending on where an attorney is necessary. Your adoption attorney will take care of all legal paperwork and schedule the necessary finalization hearing.

Home Study Services in Odessa

A home study is necessary in every state and is an important part of the adoption process. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will put you in touch with an Odessa home study service social worker.

Your home study will require fingerprinting for a background check and you will need to provide the following:

Proof of marital status such as a marriage certificate.
Medical Statement from your doctor attesting that you are healthy both mentally and physically
Financial and Employment Statements, such as pay stubs and tax documents
Three written character references

During the home study process, a home study social worker will visit your home and interview everyone who currently lives in the home. The home study is done to confirm that you have a safe and loving home for a child to be introduced to. Your home study social worker will also gather information about parenting beliefs, the strength of your marriage, and family views. Your social worker will also have several mandatory follow-up visits with you after you take custody of the baby.

Finalization of Adoption at Court

Once you have completed your mandatory adoption steps, your final adoption step is finalization.

Once her baby is born, adoption law in Texas mandates that the birth mother must wait 48 hours after the birth before legally signing the adoption papers. Then the baby must be in the adoptive parent’s custody for at least six months. Next, the home study social worker will schedule five post-placement visits. Once these visits are complete, a finalization hearing at the courthouse will be scheduled to finalize the adoption.

Finalization will occur at either Ector County Courthouse or Midland County Courthouse, depending on which county you live in in the Odessa area. A judge, your adoption attorney, you, and the baby are present. After confirming your adoption documents are complete, a judge will issue the final adoption decree. It is now time to celebrate!

Other Paths to Adoption

Odessa International Adoption Agencies

International adoption is quite different than domestic adoption. Generally, this will involve toddler or older child adoption. It is important to take the time to research agencies and make sure they have a successful history of adoption in the country of your choice. The political climate, laws, and social norms can affect the adoption process.

Some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Holt International

Foster Care Adoption

Foster-to-adopt is another option to consider in Odessa. Just contact the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange. They will provide you with all the information you need to know about the process and requirements involved in foster-to-adopt.

To qualify to be a Texas foster parent, you will need to:

Complete a home study.
Be at least 21 years of age.
Complete the foster-to-adopt application.
Provide several character references.
Provide proof documents to prove you are financially stable and responsible.
Provide information about your background and lifestyle.
Complete a background check which includes an abuse/neglect check on all adults living in the household.
Attend mandatory training, which is free that includes issues regarding adopting children who have been neglected or abused, along with parenting instruction.

Another excellent resource for foster-to-adopt is AdoptUSKids. View children hoping to be adopted in the Odessa foster care system and other states.