Tell Someone You Want to Talk About Adoption
If you are already in the hospital, you can tell a nurse, hospital social worker, case manager, or another appropriate member of your care team that you are considering adoption.
You can also contact Gift of Life Adoptions directly.
Hospital staff regularly work with patients facing complicated personal situations. You should not feel embarrassed because your plans changed or because you did not make an adoption plan earlier.
The important thing is letting someone know that you want information.
Asking About Adoption Is Not the Same as Choosing Adoption
This distinction is extremely important. Contacting an adoption agency does not mean you have already chosen placement.
You can ask how adoption works.
You can talk about your concerns.
You can learn about prospective adoptive families.
None of those conversations requires you to already know your final decision. Sometimes gathering accurate information makes the choice clearer.
Be honest.
You do not need to create a dramatic explanation to justify asking about adoption.
You May Feel Confused About Adoption
Some women believe that considering adoption should feel emotionally clear. It often does not and that can be difficult to understand. At Gift of Life Adoptions adoption counseling is available for life.
An Adoption Agency Can Help You Understand What Happens Next
Once you contact Gift of Life Adoptions, an adoption professional can begin helping you understand what an adoption plan from the hospital may involve.
Your circumstances will determine the exact steps.
The process may include discussing your reasons for considering adoption, gathering information about the birth father, learning about prospective adoptive families, discussing open adoption, thinking about your hospital preferences, and coordinating with appropriate medical and legal professionals.
One of the benefits of working with an experienced adoption agency is having someone who understands how the pieces fit together.
You Can Still Choose the Adoptive Family
Being at the hospital does not necessarily mean someone else simply chooses an adoptive family for your baby.
You still have an important voice in deciding which prospective adoptive parents you want to consider.
Gift of Life Adoptions can help you review information about waiting families.
You may want to know whether they already have children, what their home life is like, what values are important to them, or what kind of extended family your child would have.
You Can Ask Questions Before Choosing a Family
A family profile can tell you a great deal, but you may want more information before making such an important decision.
Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to speak with prospective adoptive parents by telephone, video, or in person.
Ask the questions that matter to you.
You Can Consider Open, Closed, or Semi Open Adoption
Your adoption professional can help you talk through the possibilities and discuss your preferences with prospective adoptive parents.
The important thing is to have realistic conversations about what openness means rather than assuming everyone defines it the same way.
You Can Spend Time With Your Baby
Considering adoption does not mean you have to immediately separate yourself from your baby.
There is no single correct hospital experience for someone considering adoption.
Tell the people helping you what feels right.
Your Family May React Strongly
Family members may be surprised or understanding when they learn that you are considering adoption. Make sure you consider all of your options.
Keeping your child
Placing your child with a friend or relative
Department of Children and Family Case Plan if needed or Foster Care
Adoption
The Birth Father’s Situation Needs to Be Discussed
Your adoption professional will ask about the birth father or possible father.
Tell them what you know.
There may also be questions about legal paternity.
Birth fathers and potential fathers can have legal rights that need to be addressed properly. The details depend on the circumstances and applicable state law.
Making an Adoption Plan and Signing Consent Are Different Steps
Under current Florida law, a birth mother placing a newborn for adoption generally may execute consent 48 hours after the baby’s birth or on the day she receives written notice that she is medically fit for discharge from the hospital or birth center, whichever occurs earlier.
Arizona law provides that an adoption consent given before 72 hours after the child’s birth is invalid.
Understand Anything You Are Asked to Sign
When adoption becomes part of the situation, you will encounter adoption paperwork.
Do not assume every document has the same legal effect.
Ask what you are signing
If you are uncertain about the legal consequences of a document, ask about your opportunity to consult with an attorney.
You and Your Baby May Have Different Discharge Times
You and your baby are separate patients.
You may be medically ready to leave while your baby needs additional hospital care or your baby may be ready for discharge before you are.
Medical needs determine when each patient can leave.
If you are considering adoption, your adoption professional can work with the appropriate people to help explain what happens when discharge approaches.
You May Feel Pressure Because Prospective Adoptive Parents Are Waiting
If you select a prospective family while you are at the hospital, you may quickly become aware of how hopeful they are.
Those feelings are understandable, but they should not become the reason you choose adoption.
Prospective adoptive parents are adults who enter the process knowing that placement cannot be guaranteed simply because a connection has been made.
You are making a lifelong decision.
Adoption Should Not Be Based Only on How Overwhelmed You Feel Today
Try to look beyond the immediate hospital experience when considering adoption.
Ask yourself whether your concerns are temporary or whether they reflect larger issues.
Or are you dealing with ongoing concerns about housing, finances, relationships, safety, childcare, other children, or your desire to parent?
An adoption professional can help you talk through those questions without assuming there is only one answer.
You deserve accurate information and respectful treatment regardless of when adoption first became something you wanted to consider.
You Can Ask About Support After Placement
If you are considering adoption, do not think only about what happens before you leave the hospital.
Ask what support is available afterward.
Post-placement support matters because adoption does not stop affecting a birth mother when the hospital stay ends.
Ask your adoption professional who you can contact later and what support may be available.
Contact Gift of Life Adoptions today from the hospital to speak privately with a caring adoption professional in Florida or Arizona and receive the information, guidance, and compassionate support you need as you decide what is best for you and your baby.