Lifetime Adoption > Open Adoption in Texas > Adoption Agencies in Houston

Adoption Agencies in Houston

Houston Adoption, Home Studies and More

Are you considering a Houston adoption? Lifetime Adoption is here to answer all of your questions and provide you with the information you need. Our adoption coordinators work with birth parents and adoptive parents. We help birth parents receive all the support and resources they may need and show them family profiles so they can choose the adoptive parents for their child. With adoptive families, we help them achieve their dreams of growing their family.

As a leader in domestic, open adoption, Lifetime Adoption is ready to help you with your adoption journey. Our experienced adoption coordinators are always ready to assist you. We have been connecting birth families with adoptive families for over three decades. Our coordinators will be your guide through the process. We provide articles, podcasts, counseling, webinars, referrals, along with one-on-one support.

Help for Pregnant Women in Houston

A year ago, we received a call from Emily, who worked at one of the many amazing restaurants in Houston and was attending Texas A&M University. She had just taken a pregnancy test, and there it was positive. She couldn’t imagine working while going to school and trying to be a mom. She also couldn’t imagine telling her parents. Our adoption coordinator listened to her story and gave her some great advice. First, she recommended she speak with a peer counselor who understood her hesitation to tell her parents and helped her come up with a sound strategy. Once she told her parents about her pregnancy and her desire to have her baby adopted, they were impressed with the research she had done and with her very mature plan.

If you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy and looking for adoption agencies in Houston, Lifetime Adoption can help you too. You’ll get the information you need and answers to the questions you have. In addition, you’ll receive assistance in making an adoption plan. For help and guidance, just call or text our adoption coordinators 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Through Lifetime Adoption, you can find adoptive parents who are financially and emotionally ready to parent a child in a loving home. This may be the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby. A coordinator will help you choose the adoptive family with the values and lifestyle you would like your baby to grow up in. She will help you come up with an adoption plan that includes how things will go at the hospital and how much contact you would like after the adoption is final.

Pregnancy expenses are an issue that many women struggle with when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. The state of Texas does allow agencies to help with expenses when a pregnant woman chooses adoption and up until six weeks after the birth. Houston area adoption agencies can help with those expenses. Expenses can include help with clothes, rent, food, transportation to the doctor, phone, and more. Your adoption coordinator will work with you to understand your needs and will help you get the resources and support you need!

Placing a Child Who’s Already Born for Adoption in Houston

Toddler and older child adoption is also an option through adoption agencies in Houston. If you’re struggling to raise a young child, adoption may be the answer to a more stable life for you and your child. And Lifetime Adoption is here to help you. You can view profiles of families that are interested in adopting toddlers, sibling sets, and special needs children.

Making that first call to any of the adoption agencies in Houston can be difficult. When considering adoption, call Lifetime, and you will find a caring adoption coordinator available to answer your call or text. She will answer all of your questions and listen to your story. She will talk honestly with you and will not judge you. She will guide you through the process.

Call or text Lifetime Adoption now.

How to Start the Adoption Process With Adoption Agencies in Houston

“How do I get this adoption process started?” is probably your next question. Your first step is to call or text Lifetime Adoption, or you can go online and fill out the contact form. An adoption coordinator will work with you to create your adoption plan. Your coordinator will also make sure all of the resources you need are available. Any concerns or questions you have will be answered. An adoption coordinator will always be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will always find a kind, caring, and non-judgmental on the other end of the line.

Lifetime adoptive families have profiles online. You can learn as much about the families as possible. There are personal letters they have written you can read, or you can watch video messages recorded by the family. As a birth mother, you decide what type of family you are looking for, and you are the one to choose the adoptive parents you would like to talk with. If you do not want to choose, your adoption coordinator will pick a family she thinks is a great match for you.

Adoptive family profiles are available online, just click here. Whether you are interested in Catholic adoption in Dallas, a family who lives in Texas or another state, or prefer a couple of a certain race, we will find a family for you. Once you have chosen a family, your adoption coordinator will help you connect with them. You can then begin building a relationship with them. Your coordinator will guide everyone involved through this process.

If there are community resources in the Houston area you are in need of, your adoption coordinator will also help you connect with those resources. For example, you may need to connect with a doctor for prenatal care, and you may need transportation to get there. Your coordinator will help you with those issues.

Give us a call or text today to get started.

Adoption Help in Houston

Lifetime Adoption is here to help you place your child for adoption. An experienced adoption coordinator will walk you through the adoption process and explain what your options are.

Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will provide:

Peer and Professional Counseling
24-hour help and support
Maternity clothes, assorted toiletries, and even a labor bag if you need them.
Adoptive parent profiles are available online and will be provided by your coordinator. You can be sure all Lifetime families have had background checks.
Assistance with pregnancy-related expenses
Additional support and resources after you have given birth
And much more!

Adoption Counseling in Houston

Referrals to professional and peer counseling is one of the most important resources your Lifetime Adoption coordinator can provide. Adoption is an important decision that needs to be really thought through and talked through.

Peer counseling is one of the most popular counseling services offered through Lifetime. When facing an unplanned pregnancy or placing a toddler or older child for adoption, it can really help to talk with another woman who has faced a similar situation. Even if her story is different, a peer counselor will understand how you are feeling and the emotions you are having. She can share her experience and advice you on how to tell your family, how to discuss adoption with the birth father, and many other tips to help you through the adoption process.

Maternity Hospitals in Houston

Do you feel some anxiety at the thought of labor and delivery? Most women do. Having a plan and being prepared is the best way to ease those nerves. This is where you lean on your adoption coordinator to help you create a hospital plan that is just the right fit for you. To prepare the plan, she will ask you questions such as:

Who would you like in the room with you at the time of birth?
Who would you like to hold your baby first after the birth?
Do you want the adoptive parents present at the hospital when you go into labor?
Do you want to recover in the maternity wing or a different area in the hospital?
Would you like to be released from the hospital before or after your baby?

The hospital and the adoptive parents will be told about your preferences. Your coordinator will make sure your wishes are followed. The goal is for you to have as little stress as possible and to be sure you are comfortable in the hospital.

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

If things don’t go as planned, don’t worry! Our experienced adoption coordinators have worked with women who were traveling out of state when they went into labor or have given birth at home. They are ready for whatever may happen and are just a phone call or text away.

More Helpful Resources for Pregnant Women in Houston

Are you dealing with an unexpected pregnancy while struggling with some other issues? Lifetime Adoption can help. Our coordinators can connect you with resources so you can find the information needed to make the right decisions about your pregnancy. It is important to come from a place of stability and not from a place of panic when deciding whether to parent or create an adoption plan.

If you are homeless or if you are in a domestic violence situation, you need to find safe housing. Here are some local resources for women’s shelters in Houston and the surrounding area:

Star of Hope

Houston Area Women’s Center

In addition to lack of housing, you may be struggling with hunger. If you are pregnant or the mother of young children, the WIC program is a resource for you. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and provides an EBT card to purchase healthy food such as milk, eggs, fruit, whole grains, cheese, and vegetables. They can also offer referrals to local services. Learn more by visiting their website:

WIC – in Houston, TX

If you are struggling with addiction, it is important to find a treatment center that works for you. A treatment center will have professionals who can offer options if you are addicted to prescription drugs or opiates. For example, abruptly stopping using drugs can be dangerous if you are pregnant. A treatment center will also be able to provide medications (like methadone and suboxone) along with counseling. The medicines can help you slowly wean off the opiates, and the counseling will help you deal with your addiction and create a healthy life plan. Here are a few resources in Houston:

Texas Clinic Healthcare System

Adult Rehabilitation Services

Eldorado Community Service Center

If there are any other additional resources you are in need of, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will provide confidential help with any issues you may be experiencing. We can help with pregnancy verification, prenatal care, transportation, rent, maternity clothes, and more. Call or text today.

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in Houston

If you are not sure about the adoption option but do not feel you can parent at this time, foster care may be an option. If your baby is born with exposure to substances, the Texas Department of Families and Protective Services may decide to place your baby in foster care themselves. If this happens, you will not have the choice as to where your baby is placed or whether you will have ongoing contact in the future. Even from the hospital, you can call a Houston adoption center and start the adoption process. This option lets you control who your baby is placed with because you get to look through adoptive parent profiles and choose the adoptive parents.

Relative or kinship adoption is another option. In this case, a family member who is usually blood-related to the child can apply to adopt your child. Having family adopt your child can have its own unique challenges. An adopting relative may not realize they are not just helping out short term that this is a permanent situation. Boundary issues will need to be talked about and worked through so everyone is on the same page.

Consider all of your options and then decide which type of adoption is right for you and your baby. Talk with a professional counselor, peer counselor and with your adoption coordinator to make sure you have all the information you need.

Adopting in Houston

Adoption is an exciting and life-changing decision. You surely have a lot of questions and need a lot of information for your adoption journey. If you are considering adoption services in the Houston area, the adoption coordinators at Lifetime Adoption are available to assist you during this amazing process. Our coordinators are here to make your dreams of growing your family come true. The adoption process will be gone over in detail, and you will learn what to expect during the open domestic adoption process.

A priority at Lifetime Adoption is to make sure birth mothers and their child are matched with families that are the best fit for everyone in the adoption triad. If you are in the Houston area and are considering adopting a newborn or child up to the age of six, give us a call at 727-493-0933. You can also visit the Lifetime Adoption website for a free online adoption application. There you can learn more about open adoption, and you will find adoption resources along with an abundance of adoption information.

Lifetime Adoption will provide you with all the education, resources, referrals, and support you need to make your dreams of adoption come true.

Begin the Adoption Process

The adoption process has a lot of different aspects to it. This is not a process you need to navigate on your own, however. The first thing you need to do is fill out our online application. To apply is free, and filling out the form will not obligate you in any way.

Your information will be reviewed, and once you are pre-approved, you will be contacted by a Lifetime adoption coordinator. She will be ready to answer all of your questions. Your adoption coordinator will ask what your adoption dreams are and what your expectations of your adoption journey are. Your coordinator will collect all of your information to create the best adoption plan for you.

Adoption Attorneys in Houston

To complete your adoption, it will be necessary to hire an adoption attorney. Adoption laws can be complex. All of the laws and procedures must be followed carefully. Court filings must be done in a timely manner and hearings scheduled. Your coordinator will be glad to refer a Houston area adoption attorney for you.

Home Study Services in Houston

A home study is required whether you choose domestic adoption or foster adoption. Your Lifetime coordinator will refer you to a Home Study Service for adoptive families in the Houston area.

To complete an adoption, Texas laws require the following.

Completed an application to adopt.
You must be at least 21 years old.
References from family, friends and coworkers.
Financial stability.
Show you are responsible and mature.
Show background and lifestyle information.
Provide proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable)
Complete a home study.

A home study will include background checks, employment information, education hours, financial and employment verification, and a home visit. Your Lifetime coordinator will explain the home study process and connect you with a provider.

How does the home study process work in the Houston area? First, you will submit fingerprints for a criminal background check, and you will gather the following documents.

Verification of marital status whether married, divorced or single.
Financial and Employment Statements such as tax returns, profit and loss statements, and paystubs.
Medical Statement from your medical professional verifying your physical and mental well-being and ability to parent.
Three written references attesting that the couple are suitable to be adoptive parents from friends, family, or coworkers.

You can expect your home study social worker to interview everyone in the home and put all of this information into a report for the courts. This visit is meant to show you have a safe and adequate, and loving home to raise a child in. Your home study provider will also want to know what your views are regarding parenting, marriage, and family.

Finalization of Adoption at Court

So now you have completed your home study, matched with a birth mother, and your baby has just been delivered at the hospital. You are nearing your adoption finalization.

Texas law requires a woman to wait 48 hours after the birth of her child before consenting to the adoption. Once that happens, the child must be in the custody of the adoptive parents for at least six months prior to the adoption being final. You will have five post-placement visits by your social worker during this time. When that process is complete, a hearing will be scheduled at the courthouse to file the final documents and to finalize the adoption.

All the necessary paperwork will have been filed by your adoption attorney. In the Houston area, you will go to the District Court in your area. A judge will review your home study and all supporting documents and will issue the final adoption decree. Now for the celebration and happy tears. This will be an exciting occasion so enjoy the day!

Other Paths to Adoption

Houston International Adoption Agencies

There are several different paths to adoption. Which path is right for you is a very personal and important decision. Some families consider international adoption because they want to help a child from another country who is in need.

One of the choices when choosing international adoption is regarding which country you want to adopt from. You will want to consider the political climate, the needs of the children, and several other factors that may influence your family’s decision as to which country to adopt from. Also, be aware that every country has its own laws, bureaucracy, and requirements.

Be sure to work with an agency that specializes in international adoption and has the experience needed to work with the country you are interested in adopting from. The more popular countries are in the nations of Africa, China, and Eastern Europe. Here are some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Holt International

Foster Care Adoption

The foster care system is another path to adoption. In Houston, you will reach out to the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange and let them know you are interested in foster care adoption.

To qualify as a foster parent, you will need to:

Be a mature adult, financially stable, and responsible and be at least 21 years of age.
Complete a foster parent application.
Share information about your lifestyle and background.
Collect references from relatives and non-relatives.
You may be single, widowed, married, or divorced. You will need to show documentation of your marital status.
A home study which includes visits with household members and inspection of all parts of the home, grounds, and outbuildings, must be completed.
A completed criminal history background check and an abuse/neglect check on all adults in the household must be submitted. (Adults are people age 14 and older who live at or who visit your household regularly.)
You must attend free training to learn about issues of abused and neglected children.

A great resource is AdoptUSKids. You can view children hoping to be adopted in the Houston foster care system and in other states.

Mardie Caldwell

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