If you are thinking about leaving your baby at the hospital, you are likely feeling overwhelmed, scared, or unsure of what to do next.
First, take a breath. You do have options — and adoption is one of them, even if your baby has already been born.
American Adoptions can explain your options clearly, and help you quickly find a family that feels right for you and your baby. Call 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with a professional.
Can I Leave My Baby at the Hospital After Birth?
If you are at the hospital right now or close to giving birth and feeling overwhelmed, there are safe, legal options available to you.
Leaving a newborn alone in a hospital without notifying staff is considered abandonment.
Choosing adoption, however, gives you a safe and supported path forward.
You can choose the family, decide how much contact you’d like in the future, and receive emotional and financial support during this process, even if your baby has already been born.
Before leaving, consider asking to speak with a social worker, nurse, or adoption professional.
What Happens If I Tell the Hospital I Can’t Parent My Baby?
If you tell a nurse or doctor that you can’t take your baby home, they won’t judge you or call the police. Instead, they’ll call a hospital social worker.
These workers are there to support you, not get you in trouble. Their main focus is making sure you’re recovering physically and that your baby has a safe place to go.
The social worker will sit down with you to talk about what you want to do next.
If you’re interested in a private adoption, the social worker can help you get in touch with an agency like American Adoptions. While you’re figuring things out, your baby will stay in the hospital nursery or NICU.
You aren’t doing anything wrong by asking for help—you’re making sure your baby is cared for when you know you aren’t in a place to do it yourself.
Giving Baby Up for Adoption at the Hospital
Maybe you didn’t have an adoption plan ready when you went into labor, and that’s okay. Choosing to start the process from your hospital bed is actually fairly common.
Giving a baby up for adoption at the hospital gives you a lot more control over your baby’s future than a safe haven surrender does.
When you choose this path, you get to call the shots. You can:
- Look through profiles to pick the exact family who will raise your child.
- Decide if you want to stay in touch through letters, photos, or visits.
- Plan out exactly how you want the rest of your hospital stay to go.
By creating an adoption plan at the hospital, you’re making sure your baby goes straight into the arms of a family you chose, rather than going into the state foster care system.
Can I Choose Adoption After My Baby Is Born?
Yes, you can. You aren’t “locked in” to parenting just because you’ve already delivered.
Many women ask, “Can I give my baby up for adoption at the hospital if I’m already in the recovery room?” The answer is always yes.
Adoption agencies can move very quickly; we have specialists available 24/7 who can talk to you and even help you start paperwork right from your room.
Keep in mind that giving a baby up for adoption after birth does involve a short legal waiting period. Most states require you to wait anywhere from 48 to 72 hours before you can sign the final adoption papers.
This is just to make sure you’ve had a little time to recover from the birth and feel solid in your decision.
Safe Haven Laws vs. American Adoptions
Both options keep your baby safe, but they lead to very different futures. If you use a safe haven law, it’s usually an anonymous “goodbye.”
You won’t get to choose the parents, and you won’t get updates on how the baby is doing. The state takes over, and the baby is eventually placed with a family they select.
However, giving a baby up for adoption at birth through an agency like American Adoptions puts you in the driver’s seat.
You get to see video profiles of families who have been deeply screened and are ready to be parents. An agency can also provide you with 24/7 counseling and, in many cases, financial help with medical bills or living costs.
Choosing a national adoption agency means you have a professional team looking out for you, too—not just the baby.
Will I Ever See My Baby Again?
One of the scariest parts of figuring out whether you can leave your baby at the hospital after birth is the thought that you’ll never see them again.
If you choose a safe haven surrender, that is typically the case. But with private adoption, you can choose “open adoption.”
Open adoption means you don’t have to say a permanent goodbye. You can decide to get photos and letters in the mail, or even have visits as the child grows up.
It’s a way to know for sure that your child is happy and thriving in the life you chose for them.
How American Adoptions Can Help at the Hospital
If you’re at the hospital right now and feeling like you can’t take your baby home, we are here for you. You are in a high-pressure situation, and you deserve to have someone on your side who is calm and non-judgmental.
We can talk to the hospital staff for you, help you find a family that feels “right,” and take care of the legal paperwork so you can just focus on healing.
Whether you just want to know more about emergency adoption options or you’re ready to look at family profiles today, you can contact us anytime. You’re doing a brave thing by making sure your baby has a safe future, and we’d be honored to help you figure out the next steps.
If you need support right now, call 1-800-ADOPTION
