Giving birth is a beautiful and selfless gift to give to a child. Not only have you endured a long pregnancy, but you’ve also gone through the trauma of giving new life. Life after coming home from the hospital can be quite overwhelming. Not only are you learning how to care for an infant, but you also are probably sleep-deprived. While you may have made a choice to parent the baby before birth, now you may not be so sure.
Choosing to give up a baby for adoption after birth is a big decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It is essential to talk to your close family and friends about your feelings. Talk to the birth father and take some time to think about it.
After you’ve really considered adoption and how it will impact your life, it can be hard to know what steps to take next. Learn more about how to give a baby up for adoption after birth with these steps.
Contact an Adoption Agency
Research your local area for adoption agencies near your location. Many large cities have at least a few adoption agencies that work with birth parents and adoptive families. The adoption agency should be warm, receptive, and caring to your concerns. They should be able to answer all of your questions and give you information about choosing adoption for your child.
Set Up a Meeting
The adoption agency should offer to set up a meeting with you to discuss adoption further. This is not a contract for adoption but rather an informational meeting to talk about the process. The adoption agency can explain everything to you and even offer a list of hopeful adoptive families in your area.
In addition to the baby, make sure to bring another person along with you to the meeting who could help offer support. If the birth father is named on the birth certificate, it would be great if he came along. A family member or friend could also come to help ask questions and possibly shed light on things that you may not have thought of.
Look at Adoptive Families
If you decide to move forward with the adoption process, the adoption agency will have you look over the files of hopeful adoptive families. These often include a picture and background information about the family. You can choose what type of family is a good fit for your baby as well as give preferences on race, religion, and other factors.
Meet With the Family
It can be hard to choose just one family from a book, so consider narrowing down your choice to your top two or three families. Your adoption agency will set up a meeting between you and the family if you would like to meet them in person. Some birth mothers choose not to meet the family and pick directly from the files.
If you do meet with the family, make sure to ask questions about their life and their ideas about parenting. Pay attention to how the parents interact with you and the baby and how they make you feel.
Choose the Adoptive Family
Once you have selected a family, the adoption agency will help with paperwork and the necessary steps to complete the process. This is a bittersweet time as you know that you’ll be giving the baby to the family soon. The adoption agency will help with the transition and support.
It is important to note that many states allow you to change your mind during the adoption process. Newborns in the state of Florida cannot be adopted until 48 hours after birth or until you are discharged from the hospital. If your baby is over 6 months old, there is a 3 day waiting period after placement where you can change your mind.
Choosing adoption for your baby is an important decision. Make sure that you share your thoughts and feelings with trusted family members and friends who can help you through the process. Follow these steps to give up a baby for adoption after birth if it is the right choice for you.
