Searching ‘I’m pregnant and can’t afford the baby’ is common. In Massachusetts, practical help and adoption support are available. Start with our birth mother next steps guide.

This page brings together the practical help available in Massachusetts and explains how adoption can legally cover approved living, medical, and legal costs when you work with a licensed agency. On your timeline, you can ask questions as they come up and choose the path that fits your life.

If you want to talk to someone now, you can. Find the Help You Need in Massachusetts. Call, text, or request a call back 24/7.

I’m Pregnant and Can’t Afford a Baby – What Are My Options?

Money worries can make planning harder. Start by stabilizing today, then decide on parenting or adoption once support is in place. Many people start applications for benefits, speak with a counselor, and then choose either a parenting plan or an adoption plan after they understand what support is available.

If parenting is your goal, begin by securing medical coverage, nutrition benefits, and safe housing. Build a simple first-year budget with a nurse, social worker, or counselor, and ask trusted people for practical help such as rides to appointments or assistance during recovery. Even if you plan to parent, our counselors can still help you think through next steps and point you to resources that reduce day‑to‑day pressure.

If adoption feels like the right fit, a licensed agency coordinates the support you are allowed to receive while keeping your choices at the center. The adoptive family funds lawful pregnancy-related living costs and covers your medical and legal services.

You choose the family, design your hospital plan, and decide how you want to stay in touch after placement. Both choices are respected; pick what fits your life. The goal is a stable approach that matches your needs and values.

Where to Find Financial Help During Pregnancy in Massachusetts

MassHealth (Medicaid): MassHealth can help cover prenatal visits, delivery, and postpartum care. If you’re pregnant with no insurance, we explain coverage and adoption options. When you apply, mention you’re pregnant. If forms feel overwhelming, a hospital or community health center can walk through them with you.

WIC, SNAP, and TAFDC: WIC provides healthy foods and nutrition help. SNAP adds monthly grocery funds to an EBT card. TAFDC may offer cash support for essentials while you focus on your health.

If rent is the immediate problem or a living situation feels unsafe, ask about emergency rental aid, security deposit help, or family shelter. Tell the screener you’re pregnant so health and safety are prioritized.

Once these applications are underway, you will have more room to decide whether parenting or an adoption plan best supports your life right now and in the months after delivery.

How Adoption Financial Assistance Works for Parents Considering Adoption

Adoption in Massachusetts is court-reviewed; assistance from the adoptive family is routed through our agency to keep support clear and compliant.

Living expenses. These are common costs that may be approved when reasonable and related to pregnancy.

Often covered items:

• Rent and basic utilities
• Groceries and maternity clothing
• Transportation to prenatal and counseling visits
• Phone service for scheduling and contact

Medical care. Your prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum services are covered. If you have MassHealth, we coordinate your benefits with the hospital and your providers. If you do not, we still arrange care and billing so you can focus on your health and recovery rather than invoices.

Counseling and support. Licensed counselors are available 24/7. They listen, offer options, and help plan next steps without pressure. Counseling is free to you.

Legal services. An attorney, free to you, represents your interests. They explain your rights in plain language and review each document with you before you sign.

Clarity and safeguards. Payments for placement are illegal. Only reasonable, pregnancy-related support and approved services are allowed. We handle the paperwork, answer questions, and keep you informed about what resources are available and why.

You can read more about Massachusetts financial assistance and the kinds of birth mother living and medical expenses that may be covered.

Do Birth Mothers Get Paid for Adoption in Massachusetts?

No. You are not paid for your baby. Assistance can cover pregnancy-related living expenses, medical bills, and legal services. Those guardrails protect everyone involved and keep decisions centered on health, safety, and informed consent.

Massachusetts does not publish one fixed list of allowable expenses. For national guidance on birth mother living expenses, see the Child Welfare Information Gateway. Instead, agencies and the court review requests to confirm they are reasonable and related to pregnancy.

That flexibility allows support to match your real needs while still keeping clear guardrails in place. Common examples include rent and basic utilities for safe, stable housing; groceries and maternity clothing; transportation to prenatal care, counseling, and legal appointments; phone service to coordinate medical care and stay in contact with your team; and other documented necessities that protect health and safety.

Your specialist will walk you through what’s typical in Massachusetts, gather what’s needed, submit requests, and keep you updated.

How American Adoptions Supports Birth Mothers in Massachusetts

You can reach us at any hour, and you will speak with someone who understands Massachusetts adoption and the resources available in your community.

24/7 counseling and support. You can talk with a licensed professional at any time of day. We listen, offer options, and help you plan next steps without pressure. If you just want to ask a few questions and think things over, that is welcome.

Financial assistance coordination. We’ll go over what assistance is allowed under state law and coordinate lawful pregnancy-related living costs along with your medical and legal services. Agency services are at no charge. See costs for pregnant women for a clear breakdown.

Help finding an adoptive family. Filter by values, lifestyle, location, and contact preferences, then speak with families until a match feels right. Find an Adoptive Family in Massachusetts.

Personalized hospital plan. We help you create a plan for labor and delivery so your wishes are clear. You choose who is in the room, how introductions work, and what you want those first hours to look like. We share your plan with the hospital and the adoptive family so everyone understands it in advance.

Post‑adoption contact on your terms. Open, semi-open, or closed contact is your choice. We’ll help set a plan that feels comfortable and keep contact consistent. If you want adjustments later, we can help you work through that conversation. Learn how open adoption works and what contact can look like. See enforceable open adoption agreements for an overview of state approaches.

Long‑term support. Healing and adjustment take time. Our counselors remain available after placement, and we can connect you with peer support and resources for milestones like birthdays and holidays. You will not be left to figure things out on your own.

How to Start the Adoption Process in Massachusetts

Getting started is less complicated than it may seem. A short conversation can clarify the process and give you a sense of whether adoption fits your situation. Here’s what the next few weeks can look like.

Step 1 — Start: Talk to a Specialist. Reach out to get clear answers about timelines, rights, and available support. You can ask anything and take as much time as you need. Contact a Massachusetts Adoption Specialist.

Step 2 — Review: Learn the process. Your specialist will walk through each stage and how financial assistance works. You will also cover openness preferences, hospital planning, and what support you want before and after birth.

Step 3 —Explore families.

 Take all the time you need searching for the family who’s right your child.

Step 4 — Begin receiving support.

After you choose adoption, we coordinate lawful pregnancy-related living costs and arrange medical and legal services free to you. If you have applied for state benefits like MassHealth and WIC, we align those with your care plan so everything works together.

Step 5 — Finalize your hospital plan. Decide who will be there, how the day should feel, and what you want for those first moments. Your specialist shares the plan with your providers and the adoptive family and stays in touch as your due date approaches.

Step 6 — Stay connected after placement. After placement, your counselor checks in and remains available. If you chose open or semi‑open adoption, we help set up contact and support everyone through the first year and beyond. If you prefer more privacy, we respect that as well and make sure support continues when you need it.

If you are not ready to decide today, that is okay. You can gather information, think it over, and return when you are ready. There is no fee and no obligation to choose adoption.

Talk to an Adoption Specialist Anytime – 24/7 Support

If “I’m pregnant and can’t afford the baby” describes your situation, you can get help today. You can steady your finances, explore options, and choose a plan that supports your future.

Find the Help You Need in Massachusetts

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.