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Adoption Process

Adoption can help you take back control of your life when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. And when you find the right adoptive family, you’ll know that your child will be loved and supported their whole life.

Here’s How the Process of Putting a Baby Up for Adoption Works:

Step 1: Consider the Benefits of Adoption

Adoption creates a brighter future for everyone involved:

  • For you, it is a way to respond to an unwanted pregnancy while receiving financial assistance, giving yourself resources to rebuild your life, and ensuring your baby has a loving family.
  • For families, it is a way to finally see their dreams fulfilled. Hopeful parents who choose adoption have often waited years to hold a baby in their arms. Without adoption, these wonderful couples wouldn’t be able to have a child. There may be no one on earth more eager to shower a newborn with constant love and affection than two adoptive parents.
  • For children, it means a life of love and opportunity. Adopted children grow up in caring, supportive households, and many go on to do amazing things in life. Adoptees often view their birth parents as heroes who made courageous, loving choices.

“To my birth parents, thank you. Thank you for not just choosing to place me for adoption when you knew it would be a hard but right decision. But also, thank you for giving me this family. Out of all the places I could’ve wound up in the world, this is where I ended up. And I’m so grateful for that.” — Diana, an adoptee. Watch her story here.

Step 2: Feel Safe and Supported with an Agency

We can provide all the support you need. With our adoption specialists, you’ll get 24/7 personal assistance, financial assistance for rent and bills, and help creating your adoption plan.

You can speak to real birth moms who know what adoption is like and an experienced staff who have helped hundreds of women through the adoption process. Because of this, you can know that you’ll never be alone.

Step 3: Connect with an Amazing Family

You are a hero to the adoptive family. Heroes aren’t perfect people — they are strong people who make courageous decisions in challenging situations. And that’s what you are doing.

There are hundreds of families waiting to adopt. You can choose the family you think is best for your baby. And through open adoption, you can start getting to know them right away.

Click here to start looking at adoptive family profiles.

Step 4: Feel Confident About Hospital Time

Planning for labor and delivery is usually stressful, but adoption makes this easier in two key ways:

  1. Because of adoption financial assistance, you will have no medical bills. That means you can focus on your health and well-being without even thinking about the cost.
  2. With the support of your adoption specialist, you’ll create a hospital plan that everyone will follow. You’re in charge of how this goes, which means you can feel confident and in control.

Step 5: Focus on Your Dreams and Goals

Life after adoption is full of possibilities. Many birth mothers have gone on to pursue educational goals and accomplish great things in their careers. They dreamed bigger dreams for their futures, and adoption helped turn those dreams into a reality.

Because of adoption, you can make the life you deserve. Two hopeful parents will complete their family. And your child will always be loved.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is American Adoptions the right adoption agency choice for many birth mothers?

American Adoptions is one of the largest licensed adoption agencies in the United States. Each year, we work with thousands of women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy and offer assistance to these women. Our large, caring staff is able to assist you seven days a week and provide you with one-on-one counseling about your pregnancy and available options.

You should choose an adoption agency where you feel completely comfortable with their services and staff. With American Adoptions, you will work with an Adoption Specialist who is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Adoption Specialist will be your advocate and will provide support and guidance as you create an adoption plan that is right for you.

How will the family tell my child about me and the adoption when my child is older?

Each family has their own style of introducing adoption to the child. When you are matched with an adoptive family, you can ask them this question. If you would like your Adoption Specialist to discuss it for you, just let her know. He or she can share your wishes or provide good ideas from other adoptive families.

You will also be able to share what you want your baby to know about you. You can complete a keepsake booklet to share hobbies, stories, photos of you and your family and a letter to your baby. The adoptive family can provide this to your child as he or she grows older. Be as creative as you like! Some birth mothers have even knitted a special blanket as a gift to their baby or given a similar symbol of their love.

The father of your baby can fill out the birth father's keepsake booklet or write a letter too. You may have other family members who would also like to share photos or a letter to the baby. This is your opportunity to pass on your and your family's love and to share your personality, history and reasons for choosing adoption. The adoptive family will treasure whatever information you provide and will share it with the baby at an appropriate age. In most adoptive homes, the word adoption is in the child's vocabulary early on, and adoption is celebrated in their lives.

Additional Resources

Teen Pregnancy - Information for Young Women

While not every woman who chooses adoption is a young mother, many are. Through adoption, many young women have found an ability to give their babies the best life possible, while finding the opportunity to realize their own dreams, as well. Call American Adoptions today at 1-800-ADOPTION.

Read More

Adoption Glossary

Do adoption terms and phrases leave you feeling confused? Learn the meaning to key adoption words and phrases with our comprehensive adoption glossary.

Read More