Articles for Pregnant Women

Getting Started

The Adoption Process: Step by Step

Step 1 Initial contact

It is very important to educate yourself about adoption and research all of your options. Working with an adoption professional you can trust and feel comfortable with will make all of the difference. When you are ready, the first step is to make contact with an Adoption Specialist who can answer all of your questions, explain your options and help you decide if adoption is right for you and your baby. American Adoption's specialists are available 24 hours a day at 1-800-ADOPTION to answer your questions. Your contact with American Adoptions will be kept confidential. You can also request an information packet here


Adoption Counseling

Many adoptive families and birth mothers wonder why adoption counseling and case management is necessary. Adoption is an emotionally involved decision, not only for birth parents, but also for adoptive families. Too often, suppressed emotions surface during the emotionally-involved process of adoption and adoptive families and birth parents may need support during the adoption.


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About American Adoptions

Adoption Agency Information

American Adoptions is currently one of the largest non-profit licensed domestic adoption agencies in the United States completing over 300 adoptions annually. As a non-profit, licensed adoption agency American Adoptions provides a full range of services to adoptive families and birth parents across the country.


Our Agency Staff

Read profiles and view photos of the staff of American Adoptions.


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Unplanned Pregnancy Advice & Help

How Do We Screen Our Families?

American Adoptions is committed to giving you the best possible pool of adoptive families from which to choose, which is why our screening process is often more extensive than nearly any other adoption agency in the country.

Every adoptive family you see on our Web site is “active,” which means they are ready to be matched. Unlike many other adoption agency web sites, however, all of our adoptive families have already completed all of their criminal background checks and their adoption home study, both of which are required by state and federal law to adopt.

This safeguard gives you the peace of mind that no surprises will arise once you have your heart set on an adoptive family. For example, with some other agencies there have been scenarios where the prospective birth mother has chosen a family based on their online profile, only to be heartbroken months later when they failed a background check or their home study was denied.


Unplanned Pregnancy: Where Should I Start?

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy,  you have probably already thought about your options and are ready to begin exploring these.

You might be struggling with what is the best choice for you and your baby. You might have considered adoption but just don’t know where to start.

Pregnancy brings about many changes, both physically and emotionally.  

It is often a very confusing time as you learn about your options -- this is very normal to feel.


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How the Adoption Process Works

Things to Consider About Adoption

1. Why do some pregnant women choose adoption?

  • Some women are putting their baby's needs ahead of their own and do so out of love for the child.
  • Some women desire to give their child everything they are not able to provide at this time.
  • Some women want a stable, two-parent home for their child, and most adoptive families can provide this because they are secure financially and emotionally, and have been waiting to be parents.
  • Some women want their child to be able to go to college and have a wonderful education.
  • Some women want their child to have a large and supportive extended family for their child.

The Adoption Process: Step by Step

Step 1 Initial contact

It is very important to educate yourself about adoption and research all of your options. Working with an adoption professional you can trust and feel comfortable with will make all of the difference. When you are ready, the first step is to make contact with an Adoption Specialist who can answer all of your questions, explain your options and help you decide if adoption is right for you and your baby. American Adoption's specialists are available 24 hours a day at 1-800-ADOPTION to answer your questions. Your contact with American Adoptions will be kept confidential. You can also request an information packet here


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Family and Friends

Telling Your Family About Adoption

Once you have decided on adoption, you must make the decision about when to tell some or all of your family members.

Some pregnant mothers decide to only inform family members who they believe will be supportive of their feelings. It's your decision to make, but we all know how opinionated family members can be with the choices we make.

Talk about how you feel about this with an adoption counselor. They can help you with ways to approach certain family members.

Here are a few suggestions ...

  • It is sometimes easier to approach one family member at a time. In this way, you won’t feel judgment or emotional reactions from several members at the same time.
  • It is usually better to approach the family member who you believe will be the most sensitive and supportive of your feelings.
  • It is important to understand that your mother and father will typically respond negatively to the idea of pregnancy, adoption or parenting. It usually is because their initial reaction is one of shock, and they must go through the stages of acceptance, just as you will. When they first learn about your pregnancy, they typically aren’t in the frame of mind to think about what is best for you and your baby. It is more common for the initial reaction to be a mixture of disappointment, frustration, anger or denial.
  • If you haven’t told them about your pregnancy, then it might be a good idea to share that idea with them first. It is a lot to take in at one time if you learn that your daughter is pregnant and she is also choosing adoption. These two ideas at one time overwhelm some parents. Most parents are most frustrated with the news of an unplanned pregnancy so it is best to share that news separately. It allows them to have a clearer head rather than respond with emotions. If they ask you what you are going to do about your pregnancy, you can tell them that you are currently exploring your options.

Telling Others About Your Unplanned Pregnancy
As you progress through your pregnancy it will become increasingly more obvious to people around you that you are pregnant. While you may be able to hide your growing belly in the early stages of pregnancy, it will eventually become obvious to all that you are having a baby – what do you tell people when they ask you about your pregnancy?

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Father Of The Baby

Birth Fathers: An Introduction

The father of your baby may or may not choose to be a part of your decision-making process. Whether he is supportive or not, you are not alone – many women, just like you, have experienced situations similar to yours!

Remember, adoption laws vary by state, so it is important that you speak with an adoption professional about the laws specific to your state. If the father of your baby is supportive and willing to work with you as a teammate throughout this process, this is a wonderful thing. However, if he is less than supportive of the concept of adoption, do not feel discouraged. Though each state has different laws on “birth father’s” rights, as long as a professional – like American Adoptions – ensures that everything is carried out according to the law, there is little an unsupportive father can do to stand in the way of what you feel is best.


Birth Father is Supportive

In the event of an unplanned pregnancy, some fathers exhibit wonderfully supportive behavior, and are willing to work as a team with the mother to do whatever both feel is best for the baby’s future. 

If the father of your baby falls into this category, embrace the opportunity to work together to choose what you both feel is the best life for the baby you have created together. In fact, if the father of your baby is supportive, it is likely that he will experience many of the same feelings of grief and loss that you find yourself experiencing. However, it is important to remember to take care of yourself. Although it is important to be there for him during this time, too, don't focus all of your attention onto how he feels. Take time out to focus on yourself, as well.


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About Adopted Children

What Will My Child Think of Me?

It is not uncommon for a woman considering adoption to wonder if her child will resent her for choosing adoption. While not uncommon, the thought of your child one day hating you for placing them for adoption is a terrifying one - leaving you to wonder if adoption really is your best option.

It's almost comical how, when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, everyone in your life suddenly becomes an expert, lecturing you about what you should do next. People unsupportive of adoption will tell you just that - that your child will hate you for "giving them up." Perpetrated by fear of the unknown and of a lack of understanding about the modern adoption process, people often believe that an adopted child grows up lost and lonely, wondering who their birth parents are, never finding a sense of "self." 

However, that image couldn't be more untrue.


Is an Adopted Child Loved as Much as Biological One?
Some people wonder if an adopted child is loved just as much as a biological one.  Although adoptive families hope to become parents one day, they often worry they won’t experience the same bond with an adopted child as they would with a biological child. Birth parents worry that their child may not fit in or share a strong parent/child bond with their adoptive family. As you continue to explore adoption, you may also wonder this.
 
Many of our prospective adoptive couples and birth parents initially ask whether it possible to love an adopted child as much as "their own."
 
Ask any adoptive family – the response is a resounding “yes!”
 
Some people who have not been exposed to the world of adoption believe unconditional love is only something you can feel when you are related to someone by blood. Anyone touched by adoption will tell you otherwise.
 
When Mary, an American Adoptions mother, was asked to explain the way she feels about her daughter, she replied simply and elegantly, “I know I could not love my daughter any more if she were biological … every time I look at her, she simply takes my breath away at how beautiful she is and how much I love her.”

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Unplanned Pregnancy Resources

Health and Nutrition

Things to Consider About Adoption

1. Why do some pregnant women choose adoption?

  • Some women are putting their baby's needs ahead of their own and do so out of love for the child.
  • Some women desire to give their child everything they are not able to provide at this time.
  • Some women want a stable, two-parent home for their child, and most adoptive families can provide this because they are secure financially and emotionally, and have been waiting to be parents.
  • Some women want their child to be able to go to college and have a wonderful education.
  • Some women want their child to have a large and supportive extended family for their child.

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State Adoptions


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