Many pregnant women who are thinking about adoption for their baby wonder, “Are babies that are put up for adoption always adopted?” They worry that no one will want to adopt their baby.
This worry usually comes from confusion about the adoption process. Some women are concerned that their baby’s health issue will affect his or her chances of being adopted.
We know that you want the best for your baby.
You’re probably thinking of adoption because you want your baby to have every opportunity in life. And right now, you might not be able to provide the kind of life you envision for your child. But, you might be wondering, “What if they aren’t adopted? What if nobody wants to adopt my child? Will they go into the foster care system?”
When you make an adoption plan through an adoption agency, your baby will be adopted. He or she will be placed into the arms of an adoptive couple who have been waiting and praying for a child.
The main reason that people wonder how many kids “given up for adoption” really get adopted is because they think adoption is just like foster care.
With adoption, you’re intentionally choosing for your baby to be parented by an adoptive couple. You’re able to select your adoption professional, your baby’s adoptive parents, how much contact you’d like with them, and how your time in the hospital for delivery will go.
In foster care, a child is removed from their home by the authorities. The child is usually placed into temporary care while waiting to go home with a biological family member. If they can’t be reunited with a member of their family, they’ll become eligible for adoption through foster care. These children then may face a long wait until a couple adopts them permanently from foster care.
When you contact Lifetime Adoption Agency to make an adoption plan, we’ll work with you as you choose adoptive parents who you feel are right for your baby. Your baby won’t go into state custody, so he or she will never be waiting to be adopted. Once your baby is born, you’re able to place him or her into their parents’ arms.
You might have heard about how children in foster care wait years to be adopted into a permanent family. Many of these children remain in foster care until they become adults at 18.
Fortunately, choosing adoption for your baby with an agency isn’t like that. By working with an adoption agency like Lifetime, your baby will have permanent adoptive parents ready and waiting for them. Making an adoption plan for a baby through an agency is different than a foster care adoption. Your baby is able to go home with their forever family.
If you’ve ever been worried that no one would want to adopt your baby, you can rest easy. There are hundreds of waiting adoptive parents who have been praying for a child and would love to welcome your baby into their family.
Archive for Adoption for my child
Choosing adoption for your baby is a major decision, and one that you might be on the fence about. Many women thinking about adoption worry that they might come to regret this decision. Right now, you might be wondering, “What if I change my mind about adoption? Can I adopt out my baby and get her back if I want to?”
At the end of the day, adoption is your choice. If your intuition is telling you that the adoptive couple you picked isn’t right, make sure to tell your Adoption Coordinator. She’s here to help you as you decide if the couple is right for your child.
Adoption Laws
After your baby is born, you have a set amount of time to change your mind about adoption. The amount of time depends on the state you live in. An adoption lawyer can make sure that you know your right and are fully informed before you sign anything.
Remember Your Reasons for Choosing Adoption
Before you stop the adoption, take a step back and think about why you chose adoption for your baby. What’s changed in your life that would make parenting easier? Why don’t you want to do adoption now?
A few of the most common reasons women choose adoption are:
- Can’t afford to support another child
- Environment is unsafe for a child
- Lack of support from the father
- Too young
- Parenting would get in the way of future plans
- Desire to provide child with a better life
Take some time to really consider your plans, feelings, and what’s going to work in the long-term. Then, be upfront and honest with your adoption agency and the adoptive couple you’ve already selected for your baby.
Remember, it’s never too late to choose adoption. If your parenting doesn’t work, you can always explore adoption again.
Speak With a Therapist
Lifetime encourages you to seek counseling during your adoption planning process. We can connect you with a licensed third-party counselor, for free. (“Third-party” means that the counselor has no personal interest in whether or not you do adoption.) The therapist merely is there to help you sort through the variety of emotions you might be facing.
Free peer counseling is also available to you. With peer counseling, you talk with a woman who chose adoption for her child. Since she’s been where you’re at right now, she can let you know what to expect as you get closer to your due date. If you’re having doubts about adoption, you can vent those to her.
Get Informed
Right now, the best thing you for yourself is to get as much information about adoption as possible. Reading this blog is a great place to start, as is going through all the info that your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime sent you. Seek support from a counselor or a close friend as you’re making your adoption decision. Here at Lifetime, we realize that adoption is a tough choice to have to make. You might have moments of doubt even when you’re on the right path.
Know that Lifetime Adoption Agency isn’t here to push you into choosing adoption. The adoption decision is up to you!
Question: “My girlfriend is pregnant and is thinking about adopting out our baby. I think she’s crazy for even considering it and I’m totally against adoption. It’s my baby too. Do I have any control over this? Can I stop her from putting our baby up for adoption?”
Answer: Yes, you do have a say in your child’s future. It’s not out of your control. As the baby’s father, you have the right to get answers to your questions. You also have the right to take part in the adoption planning process.
Lifetime encourages you to find out more about what’s called “open adoption.” It has been the right choice for many, especially those who aren’t ready to become parents. In an open adoption, both of you can work together to pick the adoptive parents for your baby. You can remain a part of your child’s life.
Here are some things to think about: are you giving your girlfriend any financial (or emotional) support during her pregnancy? These things will come into play when thinking about the adoption decision.
Also, you might ask yourself why she wants to do adoption. Many women choose adoption because they have other children and can’t afford another baby. Others make an adoption plan because having a baby would derail education or career goals. There are many reasons why women choose adoption.
Adoption is one of those decisions that you make based on what’s best for the child. Sometimes, the decision is made despite your own desires. She may long to become a mom, but realize that it just isn’t in the cards right now.
Talk more with your girlfriend about this. And when you do, don’t think about what you want. Think about the life you want your child to have. Looking at adoptive couple profiles online can sometimes help you picture the possibilities with adoption.
Here are some articles to help you learn more about birth fathers & adoption:
“I’m a Birth Father…Do I Have a Say in Adoption?”
What Should I Do If My Girlfriend is Choosing Adoption?”
What Are My Responsibilities as a Birth Father?
How to Get Your Baby’s Father Involved in Adoption
Birth Fathers and Adoption
If you like to speak to someone right now about adoption, call Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784.
The emotional rollercoaster of choosing adoption for your baby can seem difficult enough without adding paperwork and all the steps involved. It might seem impossible to get through when you look at the adoption process with one glance. But just like with anything, when you take it one step at a time, it’s much easier to finish.
With every step along the way, you have the right to receive adoption services to help you. From deciding to place to post-adoption services, there is adoption help available to you.
Today, we’re sharing some of the most important adoption services available to you as a birth mother:
Adoption Counseling
The emotions that you might face when you’re thinking about adoption can feel overwhelming at times. You’re not only are you making life-long decisions for your child, but you’re also working through your thoughts and feelings. Counseling is available for such times like these. From the moment you start thinking about adoption, counseling is available to you at no charge. Lifetime can refer you to a licensed third-party counselor, as well as a peer counselor. Adoption counseling can guide you during the process, and after with post-adoption therapy services.
Finding a Family
Finding the best family for your child is probably one of the most important decisions you will make after deciding on adoption. Most women who choose adoption don’t have the family picked out already and need help locating the perfect adoptive parents.
When you’re ready to start looking for the family, help is available. Lifetime Adoption Agency can send you info on hopeful adoptive couples in a variety of formats from printed and bound profiles, to websites and videos that the adoptive couple creates. There are many families across the US looking to adopt, so you’ll have a wide selection to choose from.
Legal Help
Legal representation is an important part of the adoption process, especially if you have a difficult relationship with your baby’s father. Lifetime Adoption Agency will coordinate legal representation for you, at no cost.
Financial Support
When you’re pregnant, your living expenses will probably go up as your grocery bill, doctors’ visits, and the need for supplies increase. You may be able to receive financial assistance from the adoptive family you choose, depending on your state. You might look to non-profits and local churches for help too. So if you need help during your pregnancy, make sure to learn about all the local resources available to you.
Adoption Planning
Planning an adoption involves filling out paperwork, and deciding on your plans and goals. While paperwork can seem like a chore, it’s important that your desires during the adoption process are made clear to us. Paperwork can help you in your decision-making process about the type of family you are looking for, how you want the process to move forward, and more.
Why Should I Accept Adoption Help?
Using the adoption help and services we offer will keep you focused, and motivated. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. You might not think you need counseling, but later come to find it’s beneficial to you. There are many adoption support resources available. We’re here to help you, and there isn’t anything wrong with a little help when it comes to such a major decision like adoption.
If you have questions about the types of resources available, or if there is something you need and don’t know where to go to find it, feel free to reach out to us at 1-800-923-6784 for help.
You’ve put a lot of time and effort put into choosing the perfect family for your baby. You’ve read profile after profile until you finally found “the one.” It can be a big relief to have that part of your adoption planning behind you.
That is until you realize now it’s time to meet them. If the thought of meeting them has you feeling stressed, you’re not alone. The adoptive couple is very nervous too because they want to make a good first impression.
Your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime will help you get ready for that first meeting or phone call with an adoptive couple. She can also join the phone call, too, to help you begin the conversation and move it along.
Here are three helpful tips that’ll have you feeling more prepared for your first meeting with the adoptive couple:
Be Natural
Since you’ll need to create a connection with your baby’s potential adoptive parents, just be yourself. They’re just as nervous as you. The adoptive couple isn’t there to judge you, they want to get to know you and to show you that they’re dependable.
The more calm and open-minded you can be, the better. This will set a good tone as you get to know each other. You’re seeking a genuine connection because this will be a lifelong relationship.
Choose a Neutral Location
Try to meet in a neutral setting if possible, one where you’ll feel comfortable. You might choose to meet in a spot such as your favorite restaurant or shop. We recommend that you don’t meet up in the adoptive couple’s home or your home because it can create pressure. If you don’t live close enough to the adoptive couple to meet, we recommend talking on the phone for your first meeting.
If it’s hard to break the ice or the conversation goes off course, a public setting will give you more to talk about. Small talk can help make everyone comfortable and lead to a more meaningful discussion.
Ask Questions
You’re in charge of this meeting, so feel free to ask as many questions as you want. After looking at their profile, you can try to get a better feel for who they are and what they have to offer. Use the information in their profile to dig a little deeper. When you’re getting ready for the meeting, we recommend writing down the questions you’d like to ask. Then, you can add more questions as you think of them.
The most important thing to remember as you prepare for this first meeting is that it’s up to you. If you don’t feel comfortable with the adoptive couple, you don’t have to choose them. Adoption isn’t easy, and the hardest part can be making sure you’re choosing the right adoptive family for your baby. So, don’t stress, take your time, and remember that you are in control.
Questions about adoptive couples, or about adoption in general?Call or text Lifetime Adoption Agency at 1-800-923-6784 anytime of the day or night!
Call or text Lifetime Adoption Agency at 1-800-923-6784 anytime of the day or night!
Are you pregnant and considering adoption? You’re not alone; we’re here to help you. Lifetime Adoption Agency helps expectant mothers in Florida and across to the U.S. explore adoption in a supportive, safe, and personalized environment. We’re here to provide you with up-to-date adoption information and support.
Discovering that you’re pregnant unexpectedly can be a very emotional time. No matter where you live, we can connect you with a hopeful adoptive couple who wants to provide your child with a stable, loving home.
Why Do Women Choose Adoption?
Are you wondering “is adoption what’s best for my baby?” There are many reasons why a woman decides to make an adoption plan for her baby. Overall though, women choose adoption because they want the best for their baby. Here are a few common reasons why a pregnant woman or mother might choose adoption:
- Not ready to become a parent right now
- Not financially able to provide for a baby
- Still in school
- Doesn’t want to be a single parent
- Desires the best for her child
How Will My Baby Benefit from Adoption?
If you’re not ready to become a parent, you can choose an adoptive family for your baby through our Florida adoption agency. Adoption can provide your baby with many things, such as:
- Safe, stable, loving home life
- Parents who are emotionally ready to care for a child
- Loving grandparents and relatives
- Financially stable parents
- Opportunities for a happy, fulfilling life
- Opportunity for a quality education
Getting Started with Adoption
After you have learned all about adoption and have decided to move forward, our adoption agency in Florida is here to help you create your adoption plan.
An “adoption plan” describes your wants and needs for the adoption process. It includes your preferences on the adoptive family you’re hoping for, the level of contact you’d like in the future, and your adoption hospital plan.
Choosing a Family
A big part of the adoption process is selecting the adoptive family for your baby. Lifetime’s hopeful adoptive couples have been pre-screened and are approved to adopt a baby in the U.S. Plus, they’re excited to provide a safe, stable, loving home for your baby.
After you select your favorite adoptive family, we encourage you to speak with them. During the phone call, you can ask them questions about their faith, family traditions, parenting style, family background, and more.
We’re Here to Support You
Lifetime’s Adoption Coordinators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re happy to discuss your options, answer your questions, and help you make the decision that’s best for you and your baby.
Just call or text Lifetime at 1-800-923-6784 anytime, day or night.
Once you choose adoptive parents for your baby, you’ll move forward in what’s called an adoption “match.” Through modern adoption, you have options on how you’d like to communicate with them throughout your pregnancy.
You’ll be part of each other’s lives for many years to come, so we encourage you to get to know the adoptive parents you’ve picked. Doing so can make you feel positive and confident in your decision.
Today, Lifetime Adoption Agency is sharing 4 effective ways to connect with the adoptive couple:
By Talking on the Phone
We want your adoption match to be a cooperative (and conversational) journey between you and the adoptive parents. Talking with the adoptive couple on the phone allows you to create a two-way conversation where you can share your wishes. Not sure what to say when you only talk with the adoptive couple on the phone? You might share about your pregnancy, how involved you’d like to be in your child’s future, and what you want for your child as they grow up. Your Adoption Coordinator at Lifetime is here to help you during this process.
By Emailing or Texting Back & Forth
Are you intimidated at the thought of talking on the phone with the couple? You might try starting out by emailing or texting back and forth with them. Think of it like this: you’re getting to know a new friend, and you share one of the most important people in your lives in common.
By Seeing Them In Person
Lifetime recommends having a face-to-face meeting with the adoptive couple. Visiting with them will make all of you feel more comfortable and familiar with each other. Meeting up allows you to see that they care about you, not just your baby. Choose to meet in a casual, public location to start, so there’s no pressure. “I’m so glad I met up with my daughter Hailey’s adoptive parents before giving birth! It allowed me to feel much more comfortable with them once the time came to deliver her,” says one birth mother, Jessica.
During Your Hospital Stay
In open adoptions, many adoptive families wish to be at the hospital when their baby is born. But it’s totally up to you whether or not they’re allowed in the delivery room. Some birth mothers decide to allow the adoptive mother to be present.
We recommend that you decide how your hospital stay will go down before you go into labor. Here a few things to think about for your hospital stay:
- How much time do you want alone with your baby after he or she is born?
- Would you like to have a family member or friend with you as support?
- When it comes time to go home, would you like to leave before your child’s adoptive family, after, or at the same time?
Your Baby, Your Choices
You can decide how much contact you’d like to have with the adoptive couple before you give birth. If you’d like to have an open adoption with visits later on, try to take the time to get to know the adoptive family before your baby is born. Many birth mothers have shared with us that getting to know the adoptive couple made them feel more confident in their decision. It allowed them to realize that this was the right family for their baby.
Lifetime is always here for you to talk to about your baby, the process, any concerns you have, and so much more.
With today being the final day of 2018, we thought that it’d be the perfect time to take a look back at the blog posts and topics our readers loved most this year.
Looking back on 2018, we covered a range of adoption topics here at Lifetime Adoption Agency Florida’s blog, ranging from how to handle your adoption hospital experience and how your loved ones can support your adoption, to twin adoptions and how to get an adoption loan. So, without further ado, here are our Top 10 blog posts of 2018. We hope you’ll enjoy seeing them again…or enjoy them for the first time!
#10: How to Afford Adoption with a LightStream Adoption Loan
In our #10 blog post, we shared about how a LightStream adoption loan can be used to finance any part of your adoption process. At Lifetime, we don’t want a lack of finances to stand in the way of you being able to adopt!
#9: 5 Stereotypes About Birth Parents that Need to Be Stopped Now
There seems to be plenty of stereotypes about birth parents: that they’re addicted to drugs, that birth fathers don’t care, or that birth mothers are women who don’t want children. Actually, one thing birth parents have in common is the desire to provide their child with the best life they can. In our #9 blog post, we shared five of the most common stereotypes about birth parents, so that we might put an end to them!
#8: Get 6 Tips on How to Support Your Loved One’s Adoption
This blog post is for your friends and family, to help them better understand how adoption works today. If they want to participate in your adoption experience, the info in this blog post can help serve as a starting point for meaningful conversations about how your adoption will affect everyone.
#7: “I need someone to adopt my baby”
“I just found out I’m pregnant, and my boyfriend literally disappeared…I have no idea how I’m going to raise a baby. How do I adopt out my baby?” asks one woman who contacted us. Lifetime lays out the details that go into making an adoption plan, so your pregnancy and placement can be as simple as possible.
#6: Adoption Opportunities at Our Adoption Agency in Florida
When you’re thinking about adoption to grow your family, it’s normal to wonder about the babies available for adoption. In the adoption world, you may hear terms like “adoption opportunities” and “adoption situations.” These are birth mothers seeking adoptive families for their baby. In our #6 post, we shared how to find out if our adoption agency would be a good fit for your family!
#5: Why Did They Adopt, But Not Us?
There are many sides to the adoption journey when you’re eagerly waiting to be chosen by a birth mother. Some adoptive couples struggle with feelings of jealousy, wondering, “Why did they adopt, but not us?” In this post, we helped to reveal the truth behind the adoption wait!
#4: What NOT To Do at the Hospital
Many adoptive families are blessed to get invited to the birth of their baby. We shared some general guidelines about the adoption hospital experience because there’s a big difference between adoptive parents that mean well and those who act entitled. Discover 4 things adoptive couples should avoid doing at the hospital!
#3: 3 Common Fears About Choosing Adoption for Your Baby
If you’re thinking about adoption for your baby, it’s totally normal to have some fears, especially at the beginning of the adoption journey. Here, Lifetime shared about three common fears that women have about choosing adoption, and how to address them.
#2: Is it Possible to Adopt Twins?
Many hopeful adoptive couples ask, “is it possible to adopt twins?” This year, Lifetime adoptive couple Keith and Thirza from Florida adopted newborn twin girls! In our second most popular blog post of 2018, Lifetime shared about their journey to adopting twins. If you’re in the middle of your adoption wait, hearing stories like Keith and Thirza’s will give you inspiration and hope!
#1: Financially Stable Adoptive Couple for My Baby
Lifetime works with hopeful adoptive parents of a variety of races and backgrounds from all across the US. Each adoptive couple has different occupations, educations, religions, and interests, so you have a variety of to choose from. Maybe you’re thinking, “I’d like to find a financially stable adoptive couple for my baby”. In our most popular blog post of 2018, we wrote about Dave and Meghann, an active, financially stable couple in Florida!
When you decide to make an open adoption plan, it doesn’t just mean having a relationship with your child. It also means having a relationship with your child’s adoptive family. And creating a bond with them can be a wonderful experience!
Today, we’re giving you 4 tips to help get you to begin the path towards a quality relationship with the adoptive family:
1. Get to Know Them
Getting to know your child’s adoptive parents before and after placement is important! So, ask them questions about things like their lives, jobs, church, vacations, and traditions. You could try chatting with them like you would to a friend.
“When I go to California to visit my daughter and her adoptive parents, I always update them on my life – school, dating, work, and stuff like that,” says Taylor, a birth mother. “I think that when we show interest in each other’s lives, it makes us all feel more comfortable.” Who knows, the adoptive couple may even become some of your closest friends!
2. Honor Boundaries
It’s crucial to respect their roles as parents, and yours as the birth mom. These roles are equally important but different. When you honor their boundaries and parenting decisions, the adoptive parents will feel respected and secure in their role. This security will make them feel more comfortable with you.
3. Notice Your Child’s Siblings
If your child has siblings, you’re important in their lives too. “My son’s brother is one of my favorite kids. When I visit, we all play together. He knows that I love him and his brother,” says Hailey, a birth mother. So if you get your child a gift, think about getting a gift for their brother or sister, as well. They need to know they are important to you too.
4. Don’t Worry
Adoptive parents are only humans, so they might act awkward and make mistakes. They might be worried about saying or doing the wrong thing, just like you. So try not to feel intimidated as you start your relationship. What’s helped some birth moms is to think of them like extended family members.
The bottom line is that any relationship requires work. We recommend that you find what works best for you, since every open adoption relationship is different. Your relationship with the adoptive couple will naturally change as time passes. It’s possible to have an incredible open adoption relationship if you put the child first and remember that adoption is about love!
With Lifetime, you can make the choices to build a personalized adoption for your baby. We’re here to help you every step of the way. One of the most important choices in your adoption plan is going to be picking your baby’s adoptive parents.
We have hopeful adoptive parents from all across the US of various races. All of the couples you see on our site are ready to adopt: they’ve had intense background checks and are excited to become parents through adoption. Each adoptive couple has different occupations, educations, religions, and interests, so make sure to tell your Adoption Coordinator what you’re looking for.
Maybe you’re thinking, “I’d like to find a financially stable adoptive couple for my baby” or “It’s important to me that the adoptive parents raise my child to know God.” Today, we’re sharing about Dave and Meghann, an active, financially stable couple in Florida.
They’re very excited to welcome another child into their lives! Dave works as a Financial Analyst, and Meghann works in HR. They believe in the importance of a quality education and will provide your child with a stable and nurturing home. Their son, Daxton, is almost a year old. Dave and Meghann live in a spacious 2 story, 3 bedroom home, with a large backyard. They live near parks, the beach, a zoo, an aquarium, a dog park, and a community pool. Dave and Meghann are open to future contact with you through photos, letters, and visits.
Dave and Meghann created this cute video to introduce themselves and share more about what they have to offer your child!
You can find out more about hopeful adoptive couple Dave and Meghann by visiting their adoption website. You may also view all adoptive family profiles here on AdoptionAgencyFlorida.com. If you see an adoptive family that you’re interested in, please give us a call at 1-877-383-6847.
There is a child for you!
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