Making an Adoption Plan

Finding out you are pregnant can be a scary time. You may not feel ready to be a parent right now and need to know all your options. With pregnancy, there are three choices: raising a child, having an abortion, and the third option, making an adoption plan.

Women place their babies for adoption as a smart and caring way to provide a lifetime of love and stability for their child in a rock-solid family. It can be a win-win situation for the birth parents, the baby, and the adoptive parents. Your initial reaction may be, “I could never do that,” but give yourself permission to consider what adoption may look like for you.

First, the birth mother is in the driver’s seat. A birth mother can place her baby in a home that she has personally selected. Also, the birth mother pays absolutely nothing, her expenses are covered.

On the other side, all adoptive families have gone through a rigorous application and approval process with a licensed adoption agency. Because there are hundreds of couples waiting to adopt, the adoption agency can match the perfect adoptive parents to the birth mother’s preferences. The birth mother can make a “wish list” of traits she is looking for in an adoptive family.

Visualizing a Family for Your Child

What values or traits in a family would be important to you as a birthmother? Here are some examples:

a couple with no kids or with other children
a couple of a particular race and/or religion
an artistic, athletic, musical, or outdoorsy family
a family that lives in a rural or urban community
a family with pets
a family who places a high value on education
a local family
a family that lives out-of-town

The adoption agency will present you with several profile books of adoptive couples that meet your criteria for you to read. These are photo books that are created by the family to describe themselves and their home life. Then you can select a couple of these families to personally interview before deciding on the right adoptive family. You can also decide if you would prefer a closed or open adoption. In a closed adoption, you will have no contact with the child or family after placement. In an open adoption, you may stay in touch. Some women want letters and photos, and others want occasional visits and phone calls.

Adoption papers are signed at least 72 hours after birth. Your baby would never go into foster care, but into the arms of the wonderful family, you have chosen.

If you want to explore making an adoption plan, Pregnancy Center East has a new collaboration with Adoption Professionals (office on-site) who can walk with you through the process. If you would like more information about adoption, call us at 513-321-3100 or schedule an appointment at the top of this page.

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Video: Megan’s Adoption Story

Adoption the Third Option

Making an Adoption Plan

Visualizing a Family for Your Child

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