From the hospital, your baby goes straight to the family you've chosen. There's no foster care involved, and handing your child to strangers won't happen. The adoptive parents have already cleared background checks and spent months preparing.

The whole process keeps you in the driver's seat. You pick the family, figure out what kind of relationship feels right afterward, and have support available the entire time.

Get Support from a West Virginia Adoption Specialist

So what actually happens after signing consent in West Virginia? How do families get approved, when does legal custody change hands, and what kind of support remains available down the road?

What if giving up your voice wasn't required just because you're choosing adoption? It's not. The decisions that matter most are still yours to make.

Hospital Discharge and the 72-Hour Consent Period in West Virginia

The length of your hospital stay with your baby is entirely up to you. Some birth mothers want those early hours together. Others feel better having the adoptive family step in right away. Neither choice is wrong—it's about what works for you.

When you're ready to leave, the adoptive family takes your child home and begins caring for them. The legal paperwork takes a bit longer to wrap up, but the day-to-day parenting starts right then.

Consent papers get signed after 72 hours. Once that time passes, things move forward.

Throughout all of this, your adoption specialist walks through each step with you. Any questions you have, they'll answer, and they'll make sure you understand what your rights are at every point.

Find an Adoptive Family in West Virginia

Adoptive Family Placement: Where Your Child Lives After Adoption

The family you chose takes your child home—not to foster care, not through some random state assignment. When partnering with us, you're always making this call.

Time spent looking through profiles of families who are waiting lets you read about their lives, see their homes, learn what kind of parents they want to be. When something clicks, you've found your match. Our matching approach: families complete their full screening before we introduce them to you.

That means when looking at profiles, you know these families are qualified. Some situations move faster than others, but we've found this approach saves you from picking a family only to have things fall apart later. Every profile on display has already passed background checks and training.

Your child will grow up in a home where they're wanted. The parents you pick are committing to the long haul. School, activities, tough conversations, all the big moments. They're in it for everything that comes with raising a child.

Adoptive Family Screening and Approval Process

Not every family who wants to adopt gets approved. In fact, many don't make it through the full process. That's not because we're being difficult—it's because we take your child's future seriously. Before you ever see a family's profile, they've already been through a lot to prove they're prepared to parent.

Background checks happen first. We look at criminal history, make sure there's no history of child abuse, and confirm they're financially stable. Then a social worker visits their home—not just once, but several times. They interview the family, talk to people who know them, and make an honest assessment of whether they can handle the ups and downs of raising a child.

The family also gets a medical check to make sure they're healthy enough to keep up with a baby. And they go through training about what open adoption really means, how to support birth parent relationships, and what challenges adopted kids might face growing up.

We sit down with every family ourselves. We want to hear why adoption matters to them, how they think about parenting, and who else in their life will help them raise this child. By the time you're scrolling through profiles, you can trust that these families are genuinely ready. They've already shown us they can provide a safe, loving home.

West Virginia Adoption Finalization and Transfer of Parental Rights

Signing consent is a big step, but it doesn't make everything official right away. There's still some legal ground to cover. After you've signed and the time for changing your mind has passed, the adoptive parents ask the court to finalize the adoption. This usually takes a few months, though every case moves at its own pace.

A judge will review everything to make sure the law was followed. Once they sign off, the adoptive parents become your child's legal parents—fully and permanently. Your parental rights end at that moment.

That finality is hard. There's no way around it. But it also means your child has the legal security and stability you wanted for them. And you can begin to move forward, knowing you made this choice out of love. Here's something many birth mothers don't realize at first: legal finalization doesn't have to mean the end of your relationship with your child. What happens next is still up to you.

Learn More About the West Virginia Adoption Process

Open Adoption Options: Staying in Contact After Placement

A lot of birth parents worry they'll never see their child again. Deciding what happens next is in your hands.

How Open Adoption Contact Works: Photos, Letters, and Visits

Open adoption means staying in touch with the adoptive family and your child in whatever way works for you. Some birth parents swap photos and letters a few times a year. Others text on birthdays. A few meet up in person once or twice annually.

Talking through these plans happens before placement, with the adoptive family. We help that conversation go smoothly so everyone's clear from the start.

Semi-Open and Closed Adoption: Privacy-Focused Alternatives

If keeping more distance feels right, that's an option too. Semi-open adoption means getting updates without sharing personal details. Closed adoption means no contact.

Most birth parents these days choose some level of openness. It helps them see their child is okay and keep that connection going. Spending years wondering how they're doing doesn't have to happen. Most families want to stay connected and just need someone to guide them in figuring out what that looks like.

The decision is yours to make. Whatever the choice, we'll support it.

Birth Parent Support and Resources After Placement

We don't walk away after placement. Counseling, financial assistance, and ongoing guidance remain available to you.

You can talk to a counselor who gets what you're going through. Someone who knows how to support you as you process the hard feelings and the questions that come up. A lot of birth parents tell us this ongoing support makes a real difference. If you're in West Virginia, financial help for pregnancy expenses can continue for up to six weeks after giving birth. That extra time can ease the pressure while recovering, both physically and emotionally.

And if something comes up with the contact arrangement, we can step in. Sometimes families need assistance navigating those relationships, and we know how to guide everyone through the tricky spots.

Connecting with other birth parents who've been through this offers something valuable. Talking with someone who understands what you're feeling can make all the difference. Whenever needed, we're here.

How American Adoptions Supports You Before, During, and After Adoption

The moment you reach out, you get paired with an adoption specialist who guides you through everything. This person explains your options without judgment. They help you look through family profiles and pick the right match. They coordinate hospital plans and honor your preferences.

They also connect you with financial assistance and counseling. After placement, they help maintain the contact arrangement you've set up—if you want one.

We know this decision ranks among the hardest you'll ever make. Our goal is giving you clarity, compassion, and practical help so you can move forward with confidence.

West Virginia's adoption laws protect your rights while making sure babies land in safe, loving homes. American Adoptions helps you work through those laws, understand what's available, and create the outcome that works best for you and your child.

Get Adoption Information: Talk to a West Virginia Specialist

Still wondering what happens after placement? A lot of birth parents ask these same questions before feeling ready to decide.

Reaching out doesn't mean having made up your mind. It means wanting straight answers to figure out what's best for you and your baby. We're here to help think through the options—no pressure, no judgment.

Contact a West Virginia Adoption Specialist Today

Your child's future matters. So does yours. Let's figure out together how to honor both.

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