As you make a decision about your unplanned pregnancy, we want you to know you have options. Unfortunately, none of them are easy choices to make, but we want to offer enough information to help you.
Is Adoption Right For You?
Previously, people referred to adoption as, “giving your child away.” Nothing can be further from the truth today. Loving mothers never give their children away. They understand there can be different ways to be a mother and adoption is one of them. It’s another parenting option.
Types of Adoption
Today, a birthmother (and father, if he’s available) make an adoption plan for their child. You are in complete control of the process. You decide who the adopting couple will be, what type of home life you want for your child, and how much contact you wish to have in the future.
There are three types of adoption plans you can choose from.
Open Adoption
As a birth parent, you can choose how involved you want to be in your child’s life. Open adoption means you and the adoptive family share identifying information such as full names, phone numbers, and addresses. You can have access to one another through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, texts, and letters.
Together, you decide what is comfortable for you, the child, and their family. You will have the opportunity to be a part of the child’s life in whatever capacity is best for everyone.
Closed Adoption
Some women who choose adoption prefer to have no communication with the adoptive family or child. They feel that this is the best choice in order to move on with their life. You will still choose the adoptive family, but you’ll have no interaction with them before or after the birth.
Your identity remains completely anonymous in a closed adoption. You have total privacy.
Semi-Open Adoption
A semi-open adoption means the communication you do have will be through a third-party adoption professional. You choose how much information and contact you would like to share and receive. Usually, the adoptive family and birth family share first names only.
The terms can be negotiated and set by you and the adoptive family. This option allows you to have a carefully defined relationship with your child without the ongoing connection of open adoption.
Next Steps
There is a lot to consider with adoption. Like your other options, parenting and abortion, it is a final decision and one that cannot be made lightly. Every woman comes to the decision to make an adoption plan differently. Some women deeply struggle and others know it is what’s best for both themselves and their child.
If you would like more information about adoption, please contact us. We will be happy to give you information, resources and referrals to agencies. We want to take this life journey with you.