An unexpected pregnancy can leave you with so many questions, especially if you do not feel in a place where you can take care of a baby. Options Medical Clinic offers FREE assistance to help you consider an adoption plan for you and your baby. As the birth mother, YOU have the ability to make important decisions, and we are happy to help you with the adoption plan that may be best for you. It is a brave and courageous thing to consider adoption, and there are many great resources to support you with this decision. You are not alone in this process, and there are caring people ready to help you.
If you have decided that adoption is the best option for you, then you will need to do your research and start making an adoption plan. You have complete control with your adoption plan, and you have your entire pregnancy to make these decisions. You get to choose the details of your plan, and have time to really do your research and consider your options. There is more than one way to do an adoption plan. An adoption plan is your guideline for how you want the adoption to proceed.
What to consider when thinking through your adoption plan:
Determine What You Want for Your Baby
- What kind of family do you want to raise your baby?
- How much contact do you want with the family before and after the adoption?
- Where will you deliver your baby, and who do you want to be with you at the hospital?
- How much time would you like to spend with the baby after the baby’s birth?
Get Advice from an Adoption Advocate
- Contact an adoption professional to help you with this process. There are adoption advocates that will help you find a family, and work out the details of your adoption plan.
- Do your research, and seek out the adoption agencies that have high reviews and are reputable. They can help you make decisions about what kind of relationship you want with your adoptive family and child. There are a number of ways to proceed with adoption. It is a very personal decision, and you can decide how much contact you would like with the adoptive family.
Choose the Type of Adoption
- Closed Relationships: In a closed adoption, birth parents and adoptive families do not share contact with one another. They may never even meet.
- Semi-open: In a semi-open adoption, very little information is exchanged. You may know each other’s names, have met at placement and shared letters and pictures on a schedule but may not meet face-to-face after placement or have contact through phone/social media. Correspondence is often sent through the adoption agency.
- Open-Relationships: Birth families and adoptive families share photos and letters and have an ongoing relationship that can include face-to-face visits, phone calls, texts, and/or contact on social media. Even in open relationships, the specifics can vary greatly.
Choosing to consider adoption gives you time to make your decision. There is no deadline or pressure on this choice. You have your entire pregnancy and even afterward to choose adoption. You have time to explore all of your options and your legal rights, and make a decision that is right for you and for your baby.
Options Medical Clinic is the best first step if you would like to discuss your pregnancy choices. We will confirm your pregnancy with a free pregnancy test and ultrasound (if medically qualified), and we have advocates ready to support and talk with you about your decision. We work with and have referrals for caring adoption agencies that will help bring support and guidance during your journey. Please call us at 770-874-2031 to schedule your free and confidential appointment. We would love to support and help you in any way that we can.