When you're making the difficult decision of whether or not to place your child for adoption, you'll want to explore what your options are as far as how to place your child. You can plan a private adoption, in which you take care of the paperwork and find the right family, or go through an agency that will do the legwork for you. There are obvious advantages to using an adoption agency, but you should make the decision according to what feels right to you.
Family Match
An adoption agency usually takes applications for couples as well as from expectant mothers. This means that it already has a database of appropriate parents for you to look through and choose. Some agencies can even narrow your results according to culture, religion and locations so you can be sure your child is going to raised with the same values as you would have raised her with. This can take some of the stress out of the adoption process.
Legal Work
Placing a child for adoption and signing off on your parental rights can involve some confusing paperwork. Your adoption agency will take care of all of the complicated paperwork for you, notes Chicago adoption lawyer Adam Pearlman. This ensures that all of the legal work is done correctly and in a timely manner for a smooth adoption process.
Home Studies
When you select a family that you'd like to adopt your baby, a home study and background checks need to be done. An adoption agency can complete these requirements for you, and in some cases can complete the home study itself so that you can be sure if gets done quickly and easily, and can feel reassured in your decision to place your baby with the family you've chosen.
Adoption Terms
You may have specific terms that you want the adoption to be executed under, such as being able to see your child at yearly intervals, asking for monthly updates or agreeing to a closed adoption. Your adoption agency can arrange all of the terms and speak to the adoptive family about it and sign contracts, ensuring that you are able to get everything that you want from your adoption experience.
Counseling and Resources
The adoption process can leave you feeling upset, scared and hurt, but adoption agencies often have in-house counseling services to help you along the way. They may be able to match you with a mentor who has been through the process before, or have you meet with a therapist to talk. They'll also be able to offer you resources, like showing you around the hospital that you'll deliver at, helping you find an obstetrician and pointing you toward support groups, according to the Adoption center for Family Building.
