Ask any adoptive family out there and they will tell you that the wait between becoming an active family and having their child placed in their arms was the hardest part of the entire adoption process. There’s so much excitement and anticipation as you wait for that little bundle of joy, but everything is out of your control.
Fortunately, you can drastically reduce your wait time by changing one simple thing: your APQ.
Often times, when beginning the adoption process, adoptive families worry about how they could possibly find a birth mother on their own. How will they know where to look? How will they know if the woman they find will be a good fit? How do they find a woman whose hopes for her child are in line with what they can provide?
At American Adoptions we can do all of the legwork for you. How, you ask? Well, we actually do this using a very simple set of questionnaires. Upon joining our agency, you will be asked to complete an Adoption Planning Questionnaire, or APQ, with the help of one of our adoptive family specialists.
It is ultimately up to a birth parent to take responsibility for their own healing after placement. As adoptive parents, there are a few key things you can do to help a birth parent with the process after placement.
I made a conscious, thought out choice to put my son up for adoption. I also made sure that I chose his parents wisely. That’s right, I chose my son’s parents. The family was not forced upon me, the decision was not made for me, I was actively engaged along every step of the way. I have an open adoption, and voluntarily placed my son up for adoption. My son’s parents know that I chose them. I know that they value that gift. I want to share some insight into that relationship and encourage adoptive parents to know they are valued, and respected for the gift that adoptive parents give to a birth mother.
Every year, on the first Sunday after Labor Day, we celebrate the officially-recognized national holiday known as Grandparents Day. Yes! We take just one day to celebrate and recognize the people in our lives who are the roots of our family tree! We spend time with the only people who will ever love us more than our parents. One whole day! Make it count!
Be Honest
This is a good rule to live by in any aspect of life, but especially so in an adoption. For a successful adoption you should be honest with yourselves, honest with your home study provider, honest with your adoption professional, honest with expectant mothers and honest with your child.
You know that your love for your adopted child is immense and unconditional – even if you haven’t met him or her yet. But how do you show your baby that love when you bring him or her home? Will there be any challenges with bonding as an adoptive family?
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can bond with your baby. All babies need certain forms of contact and communication from their parents to develop a strong relationship. With these tips, you and your baby can have a happy, healthy bond from the beginning.
If you have friends or family members who are waiting to adopt, you know how tough it can be for waiting adoptive parents. Nothing is in their control and they have no idea when they might be matched with an expectant mother. In short, it’s stressful.
Fortunately, there are ways that you can help support the parents-to-be as they wait:
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process. Today, we are going to cover the third component of your journey: finding and getting to know the birth mother.
First, you will need to create an adoptive family profile to send out to prospective birth mothers. After you have been selected by a birth mother, you can begin pre-placement contact. Read the sections below to learn about this step of the process.
If you have decided to grow your family through adoption, you have a long and exciting journey ahead of you. This five-part series is meant to give you the basics on the main steps of the process.
To begin this process, you will need to decide who you want to help you through the steps of your adoption. There are multiple types of adoption professionals, including:
National agencies
Local and regional agencies
Adoption facilitators
Adoption attorneys and law centers
To help you decide which of these professionals works best for your situation, ask yourself these questions: