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Adoption

Making an adoption plan after the birth of your child can make you feel like you’re racing against time. But, you don’t have to feel this way. Here are some things to know if you’re asking, “Is it too late to give my baby for adoption?”

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It’s Never Too Late to Choose Adoption for Your Baby

For many prospective birth mothers, it’s impossible to know if adoption is the right choice for them until either the end of their pregnancy or until they’re brought their baby home from the hospital. If you’re in this situation, you may be thinking, “Can you give a baby up for adoption after it’s born?”

This is actually more common in an adoption than you would expect. Your specialist might refer to these types of situations as “pop‐up” or “last‐minute adoptions,” because they can happen after the birth of the baby or after a mother has returned home from the hospital. If you’re wondering if it is too late to “give a baby up” for adoption, the most important thing that your adoption specialist will tell you is that it’s never too late to make an adoption plan for your baby.

As this can be a complicated time to start thinking about “giving a baby up” for adoption at birth, you likely have plenty of questions about what to expect for an adoption after pregnancy. Below, find a few common questions that prospective birth mothers like you usually have if they’re considering an after-delivery adoption.

Is it Possible to “Give Up” a Child After Birth?

You are more than able to place a child for adoption after leaving the hospital. While every adoption is different, here are the steps that you’ll typically take during a last‐minute adoption.

Step 1: Contact an Adoption Specialist

You can contact an adoption specialist at either a national or a local adoption agency. Once you contact them, you’ll be asked to fill out your social and medical history forms. You’ll also be asked to fill out a form explaining your preferences in an adoptive family. While these forms may take some time, it’s important that you fill them out to the best of your ability. They will play an important role in finding the right family for your child.

Even though you’ll be providing a lot of private information, you can rest assured that your adoption specialist won’t share anything you don’t want them to. Your privacy is of the upmost importance during an adoption, so everything you share with your adoption specialist will be confidential.

Step 2: Find an Adoptive Family

For any prospective birth mother, finding the right adoptive family can be the hardest part of making an adoption plan. But, if you’re making a late adoption plan, you’re probably asking, “When is it too late to find adoptive parents for my child?”

There will always be time to find an adoptive family for your baby, even during or after the birth of your child. As soon as you’re ready, your adoption specialist can send you a variety of adoptive family profiles that meet your preferences.

Step 3: Pre‐Placement Contact

While the late adoption process tends to be sped up, you’ll still have time to get to know the adoptive family you’ve chosen. Depending on how quickly the process is going, your adoption specialist will be able to connect you and the adoptive family with a phone call. The family may even be able to quickly travel to the hospital so you can meet them in person, too.

Step 4: Consent to the Adoption

When you’re a prospective birth mother, the last step that you’ll need to complete is consenting to the adoption. Once you sign, your parental rights are officially terminated. However, once you consent to the adoption, you won’t be able to get your baby back. It is incredibly important that you’re certain about your adoption choice before you proceed. Your adoption specialist and adoption attorney will help you throughout this last step if you have any questions.

How Late Can You “Give Your Child Up” for Adoption?

You can place your child for adoption at any time. One of the first things that your adoption specialist will reassure you about is that it’s never too late to make an adoption plan. You can contact an adoption agency while you’re lying in your hospital bed or from your house if you’ve already brought your baby home.

No matter how late you decide on adoption, you will always be treated with respect by your adoption professional and the adoptive family that you choose.

Can I Receive the Same Services in an After-Delivery Adoption?

If you place your baby for adoption after your pregnancy, you will still receive many of the same services as a woman choosing adoption early on in her pregnancy. For a late adoption, you may be entitled to receive:

To learn more about what kind of assistance is available for late adopters, reach out to an adoption professional today.

“Giving your baby up” for adoption after birth can be an emotional experience, and you may feel like you’re being pulled in several different directions. That’s why your adoption specialist will do everything they can to make the process as stress‐free as possible. To help you get started, here are some trusted adoption agencies that you can contact: