When Can You Give a Child Up for Adoption?
If you’re wondering when to start considering adoption, there is never a wrong time to give your baby an amazing life through adoption. Adoption is life-changing choice to make, so it’s a decision that should never be rushed.
Get a free consultation from an adoption professional at any time and find the hope and possibility that can come with your decision to choose adoption for your baby.
Read on to learn more about choosing adoption during your pregnancy, at your child’s birth and once you have begun parenting.
Choosing Adoption During Pregnancy
When Should I Start Considering Adoption for My Unborn Baby?
Any time is a good time to consider adoption if parenting doesn’t fit into the path you have laid out for your life. You can begin researching and get free unplanned pregnancy help as soon as you receive a positive pregnancy test.
Exploring adoption along with your other unplanned pregnancy options means that you can have peace of mind when you make your decision. You’ll be able to make your decision confidently knowing that you took the time to consider every option fully.
If you are pregnant and don’t want the baby, adoption can be a brave choice that can give a lifetime of love to your child and give you control over your pregnancy and your life.
How Do I Put My Unborn Baby Up for Adoption?
If you are pregnant and want to give your baby up for adoption, you can get help from an adoption professional. Talking to an adoption professional is often a great first step because they can help you throughout the adoption process.
In most adoptions, you will follow these 6 steps:
- Find an adoption agency
- Decide what to look for in adoptive parents
- Look through adoptive family profiles and choose the perfect fit
- Begin to build a relationship with your child’s adoptive parents
- Birth and hospital stay
- Legal steps of adoption
During the adoption process you will have the opportunity to make many choices, including who you want to parent your baby, and what you want your hospital stay to look like. Making an adoption plan with an adoption professional means that each step will be planned and you will have help available 24/7 during your pregnancy.
Choosing Adoption at the Hospital
When Can I Start Putting My Baby Up for Adoption at the Hospital?
For many people, the process of adoption begins before the baby is born—you can fill out background information with your adoption agency, get care and support during your pregnancy, find adoptive parents, make plans for transitioning your baby to their family, and get to know the adoptive family. However, you cannot make the adoption official until after the baby is born.
If you believe you are pregnant and want to choose adoption, you can get help at any time. For the process to continue, one of the first steps is to verify your pregnancy with a pregnancy test and get the test confirmed by a medical professional. An adoption professional can help you with your unplanned pregnancy here.
When Can You Give a Baby Up for Adoption Legally?
You can start the process of adoption at any time, but your state laws determine the exact timeline of when you can give your baby up for adoption legally. In most states, there is a 24-48 hour waiting period after birth before you can sign your legal adoption paperwork.
After your paperwork is signed, there is a waiting period as the adoption paperwork is cleared by your state’s court system. This waiting period can vary from state to state but is partly determined by ICPC guidelines.
You can decide how much time you would like to spend with your baby and the adoptive family while the adoption is being finalized. You can also decide who you would like to hold the baby first, and when you would like your baby’s adoptive parents to begin caring for your child.
Can You Choose Adoption after the baby has been born?
Yes. Even if you made no prior arrangements, you can place your baby for adoption after they’ve been born. An adoption professional can help you complete the legal steps of adoption.
Because there are families waiting for an adoption opportunity, with some adoption agencies you can choose the perfect family and make a connection that will change your future within hours or days of when you contact a professional.
Choosing Adoption After Taking the Baby Home
When Can You Give a Child Up for Adoption After Taking Them Home?
As mentioned above, you can complete the legal steps of adoption soon after birth, but even if you don’t choose adoption during pregnancy or immediately following birth, adoption is still an option.
In some cases, individuals and couples may bring their child home and begin parenting, but recognize after days, weeks, months, or even years that parenting is not the best option for them and their child. Even if you have spent time parenting your child, you can still choose adoption.
Choosing adoption when you have brought your child home doesn’t take additional steps, and there is always help available to you.
When to Start Considering Adoption for Your Child
There is no wrong time to start considering adoption for your child.
You can begin thinking about adoption as soon as you find out about your pregnancy, but some women start considering adoption after caring for their child for days, weeks, months, or longer when they recognize that they don’t have the support or resources to provide the life they imagine for themselves and their child.
No matter what has brought you to research the option, choosing adoption can bring hope and a lifetime of love for you and your child.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, struggling, or are looking for a different path than the one you are on, you can seek out counseling and support resources for parenting here. You can also get help from an adoption professional now here.
When You Should Give Up a Child for Adoption After Parenting
Ultimately, each person and each pregnancy journey is different. You are empowered to make the best choice for yourself and your situation. If you’ve taken your baby home and are realizing that you don’t have the resources or support to parent a child or have come to terms with the fact that you don’t want to be a parent, adoption is still an option for you.
Many women choose adoption when they believe that adoption is the best option for themselves and for their child.
Get Started
Adoption is a beautiful way to give your child a life full of opportunity and for you to regain control over your life. Whether you’re in the midst of your unexpected pregnancy, at the hospital or have already brought your baby home, it’s never too early or late to choose adoption. If you’re unexpectedly pregnant and have questions about when to start considering adoption, reach out to an adoption professional today.