Adoption Services for Prospective Birth Mothers
Adoption Counseling, Legal Services and More
If you are a prospective birth mother, trying to find helpful adoption assistance can feel overwhelming. You might not even know which adoption-related services are available to you or which ones you need to complete a successful adoption.
National adoption agencies are highly recommended as one of the best places to find adoption help. Many of them have years’ worth of experience providing adoption assistance for prospective birth mothers like you. When you work with an adoption agency, there will be a few important adoption services that will be offered to you — completely free of charge.
1. Your Adoption Counselor and You
Adoption counseling is one of the services that you’re entitled to receive from your adoption professional. But, what do adoption counselors do?
Your adoption specialist, also known as your adoption counselor, will be an invaluable asset during your adoption. As this tends to be an emotional experience for prospective birth mothers, there may be times during the adoption process where you will feel alone in your decision and unsure of where to turn to. When this happens, having an adoption counselor there to help you figure out your next steps is essential. If you’re just looking for information about your unplanned pregnancy options, an adoption specialist can provide that, as well, with no obligation on your part to choose adoption.
If you’re in a situation where you’re anxious about protecting your privacy, don’t worry. Counseling for considering “giving a baby up” for adoption is completely confidential. Whether you have concerns about the birth father’s rights in an adoption, financial assistance, or the adoptive family, your adoption specialist will be there to help you during this emotional time. Having the support of a confidential adoption counselor can do wonders for your emotional health and for the success of your adoption.
2. Assistance Finding an Adoptive Family
Finding an adoptive family that you feel comfortable with will be one of the most important parts of your adoption plan. But, you don’t have to go through this part of the process on your own.
Your adoption specialist will provide you with different adoptive family profiles to get things started. They may first show you about 20 profiles so that you can get a good feel for what you’re looking for in a family for your child. But, if you don’t find a family that meets your goals for an adoption in that first set of profiles, your specialist will be more than happy to send you more.
National adoption agencies do most of the legwork for prospective birth mothers by finding possible adoptive family matches across the United States. Because of their larger budgets, adoption agencies can turn to adoption advertising and networking if you’re having trouble finding a family that meets your needs. This way, no matter how long it takes, your adoption specialist can continue to work with you and provide the adoption support that you need.
As you continue looking for a family that’s ready to adopt, help will always be available through your adoption specialist.
3. Financial Assistance
Pregnancy can be overwhelming, stressful experience — especially when it comes to money. That’s why, the adoptive family that you choose and your adoption professional will work to cover all of your necessary expenses. All prospective birth mothers that work with an adoption agency are entitled to receive guaranteed medical services and legal representation for free.
In addition to these adoption related services, you may also be entitled to receive living expenses during your unplanned pregnancy. While this doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily get paid for the adoption, this type of adoption support can include:
- Rent and utilities
- Transportation
- Groceries
- Phone plans
The amount that you’ll receive for your living expenses is determined by the state you live in and the court. Once you’ve filled out your living expenses form with your adoption counselor, they’ll work as quickly as possible to get you the financial assistance that you need.
4. Post‐Adoption Services
Your relationship with your adoption specialist and the adoption agency doesn’t have to end once you place your child with the adoptive family. Should you need them, your adoption specialist can provide you with these adoption‐related services:
- Post-Placement Contact Mediation: Through an open adoption, you’ll be able to stay in contact with your child and the adoptive family.Your adoption agency can always mediate the sending of any pictures and letters back and forth, but you can always ask for more help mediating direct contact, should you need it.
- Adoption Counseling Services: Even after the adoption, your adoption counselor will be there for you if you need them. Any time you need their help, your adoption specialist can offer their words of wisdom and provide post-adoption counseling to help you through your healing process.
- Birth Parent Scholarships: Some adoption agencies offer financial assistance for women considering adoption to continue their educational and career goals. Check with your adoption specialist to see if your agency offers this service.
These are just some of the most common adoption-related services that adoption agencies provide. Be sure to research different adoption agencies to find one that offers the services you want and fits all of your needs.
Here are a few national adoption agencies that you might consider: