Are You Pregnant and Thinking About Adoption?
It wasn't planned, but now you're pregnant, and you're not sure what to do. Especially if you're a single, young woman, this can be a very overwhelming situation. If you're unsure about raising a child at this point in your life, it has probably crossed your mind to consider placing your baby up for adoption. This is definitely not an easy decision to make. It takes a great amount of love and courage to carry a baby to term and then trust his or her care to someone else. Adoption is a matter of choosing life for your baby and hoping to give the child an opportunity to grow up in a loving and stable family.
What are your reasons for considering adoption?
As you consider the possibility of adoption, it's important to realize that adoption requires you to permanently give up your parental rights. The adoptive parents will have full legal authority over the welfare of the child and will raise your child as their own. If you're only thinking about adoption because you are concerned about money issues or your living situation, you might want to explore other possibilities before you make a decision. These are often only temporary problems, but adoption is permanent. If you are a teenage girl still living at home, talk to your parents. See if your family and friends are able to help you if you choose to keep your baby. Call Social Services and find out what assistance they can provide. You may still opt for adoption, but at least you can be more confident in your decision if you have considered other alternatives.
Who can you talk to about adoption and other options?
Whatever choices you make, hopefully you have friends and family to support you at this time. Not only is this a time when your body is going thru incredible emotional and physical changes because of the pregnancy, but you are having to make some important life-long decisions. This is often a good time to talk to professionals in the field of pregnancy about your parenting and adoption options. If you do, there are many different places where you can go that offer counseling at either no cost or very little cost to you.
Perhaps one of the best places to go is a Crisis Pregnancy Center, because they specialize in helping pregnant women. You can talk to counselors about your pregnancy and discuss your feelings and pregnancy options. Medical professionals are usually available to provide basic medical services, such as pregnancy tests and health exams. Some facilities even provide a maternity center where a pregnant girl can live until the baby is born.
Other places to seek for help and advice are Family Planning Clinics, which provides health services to women, including birth control information and pregnancy tests. They may also provide referrals to pregnancy clinics or other resources for pregnant women. If you just want someone to talk to, try a Family Service Agency or Mental Health Center. They have counselors that you can talk to you about your pregnancy. Whatever problem you want to talk about, they are available to help. If you want information about financial assistance from the government, it may include medical coverage, welfare, or food stamps, contact the Health Department or Social Services Department in your area.
If you feel strongly about adoption and want to get more information about the adoption process, you may want to contact an adoption agency directly.
Wherever you choose to go for counseling, you want to find a counselor that treats you with kindness and shows respect for your feelings and choices. Although the counselor will have his or her own opinions on abortion, adoption, and parenting a child, it should not affect the professional advice and treatment they give you. The counselor will talk to you, give you information, and answer your questions, but ultimately it is your decision to make. You should be free to make your own choice. Whether you are considering ending the pregnancy, keeping the child, or placing the child up for adoption, ask the counselor how they can help you in each of those situations. If you choose adoption, ask if they can help you with that process. If you are feeling pressured or not comfortable with the counselor or place of service, try to find another place or counselor to help you.
The Adoption Decision
Once you have decided to place your baby up for adoption, it's time to move forward and proceed with finding a good family for your baby. Even if your sure about adoption, you may still be concerned about finding a loving family that will take good care of your child. Fortunately, adoptive parents are thoroughly and carefully screened by adoption agencies. Before adoptive parents are eligible for adopting a child, they must provide a great amount of personal information, personal references, their homes are visited several times by social workers, and they must learn about the special aspects of adoptive parenting. By the time they are approved to adopt, they have demonstrated that they can be good parents. Now it's up to you to choose the type of adoption you want (open adoption or confidential adoption) and to find the family you want to raise your child.
Choosing to place your baby up for adoption is a difficult decision. But if you decide that adoption is the right option for you, don't feel guilty. Most adopted children will wonder why they were put up for adoption, but they will also understand that you did the best you could. You are taking a step of love and courage and making the best choice for you and your baby.