Nothing in life that is worthwhile is ever easy. Adopting a baby is very worthwhile, and it takes a lot of work and patience. Like birth pains, much of the pain and effort is forgotten once you’re holding that beautiful child in your arms.
Interview Adoption Professionals
The first step is finding an adoption agency or adoption professional that you can trust. This first step may be the most important step. Take your time to do the research and interview adoption agencies and professionals.
While it may seem easier and cheaper to find a birth mother online yourself, the risk of being scammed or caught up in a hoax is considerable. An experienced adoption professional screens the birth mothers and knows what red flags to look for. Being scammed when trying to adopt a baby is expensive and heartbreaking. I’ve had it happen when we were trying to adopt early on.
Obtain Referrals and Review
When interviewing an adoption professional, ask for referrals from couples who have recently adopted from them. Make sure you are comfortable with their process.
You want an adoption agency or professional who will walk you through the entire process, support you, and provide resources to you that you will need. You will also want one that provides support and resources for birth mothers. A qualified, professional adoption coordinator can make adopting a baby a much easier process for you and save you time, stress, and money.
Create Your Profile and Get a Home Study
Once you have chosen who you are going to work with, you will move on to the next step. Your adoption professional should walk you through the next steps.
In order to adopt, you’ll need to have a home study done. Plus, you will be creating a profile about yourselves that birth mothers will review. In an open adoption, the birth parents choose the adoptive parents. They look through profiles to find the type of parents they feel are best suited to adopt their baby and the connection they are looking for.
The home study is a requirement in every state if you want to adopt. It consists of a criminal background check, a social worker visiting your home, and interviews. The home study will also require gathering documents such as birth and marriage certificates, medical information, financial statements, and personal references. Once these are complete, you move to the phase where you are waiting to match with a birth mother.
The Adoption Wait
This phase is where patience comes in. You could match right away, or it can take some time. It is best to utilize all the resources available through your adoption agency or adoption professional during this time. Watch webinars, read articles on parenting an adopted child, and participate actively in finding a birth mother.
You will also want to make sure you are ready at any moment for a baby. Sometimes there are what we call “sudden situations.” Your adoption coordinator may get a call from a woman in the hospital who has just given birth and has decided on adoption. You could get a call to come to pick up your baby right now! Or, you may match with a birth mother who is a few months pregnant and would like you to attend doctor’s appointments with her and develop a relationship. Every adoption is unique and special in its own way.
Lifetime Adoption
At Lifetime Adoption, we will work with you to make your adoption journey as smooth as possible. We offer educational webinars, an enormous library of articles, and professional adoption coordinators that can and will answer all of your questions, listen to your concerns, and guide you through the process.
We also work very closely with our birth parents. We offer professional counseling, peer counseling, and educational scholarships so they can plan for life after placement. We have a 24 hour/7 day a week hotline for birth mothers to call or text should they need assistance. We make sure they have everything they need including access to medical and even housing if needed. We are here to support and educate both adoptive parents and birth parents.
How Do I Find the Right Adoption Agency?
We know that finding the right adoption professional can be hard, so let us make it easy. Call our team at 1-800-923-6784, or request free information online to connect with a trained professional. We’re happy to answer your questions and get you the adoption help you’ve been looking for!
Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P., is a nationally-recognized adoption expert and the Founder of Lifetime Adoption Agency. She has been working in adoption since 1986 and is also an award-winning author and speaker.
Mardie knows the sorrow of coping with infertility, and is an adoptive parent who experienced many of the challenges adoptive families might face. In various media appearances worldwide, publications, and her podcast, Mardie important steps that must be taken to complete a safe and secure adoption. Having adopted her son, Mardie knows firsthand the joys of raising an adopted child.
Mardie’s life mission is to help adoptive parents and birth parents find each other. With Lifetime Adoption Agency, she seeks to build happy families and provide precious infants and children with a loving and secure future.