Expectant Mothers

Is Adoption an Option?

The fact that you are here looking for information shows your desire to make an informed choice for your unexpected pregnancy. I hope that you find comfort in knowing that you are not alone in this. We will be here as much as you desire during this season of your life. Please reach out and connect if you’re ready to talk about your future and how we might be helpful to you.

What to Expect:

First things first, let’s get to know one another. An Adoption Specialist will meet you in a place where you are most comfortable. We’ll spend time learning about what your hopes and fears are related to this pregnancy.
We’ll talk about your choices with this pregnancy and whether adoption is something you truly wish to pursue.
We will help connect you to a counselor, and pay for it if your insurance does not cover. This choice has lifelong implications and we want you to have the professional support available to ensure you are making the most informed decision.
After learning what your requests are, we find you a family for your child. We help you to build that relationship through whatever avenue feels most comfortable: written, phone calls or in person meetings. We then help establish a post placement plan for how often and in what way you’ll stay connected to your child and their chosen family.
During your labor and delivery, we can be there with you if you’d like. We can also arrange for you to have a Doula for delivery. When you are ready, but no sooner than 72 hours after delivery, we will start to talk about paperwork that will initiate the legal process of adoption for your child.
When you return home from the hospital, and the baby goes home with the family you’ve chosen, we continue seeing you regularly for 3 months to provide support post placement. You can request we extend this period of regular support should you wish. We will continue to be available to you throughout your lifetime as you need.
We are also available to facilitate post placement communication and visitation, depending on the specifics of your post placement agreement with the chosen family.

Want to get started or do you have questions?

reach out, we are happy to help

Frequently asked questions

What services are available to me?

The plan for you as an expectant parents is highly individualized and looks differently for each person. We like to meet with you initially to get to know you and your story. We then meet every few weeks, or even weekly depending on how close you are to delivery and how much support you’d like from our Adoption Specialists.

At some point we have you complete an expectant parent background form and releases so that we may retrieve your medical records pertaining to the pregnancy. We will connect you to community resources that may benefit you.

During the third trimester we connect you with the adoptive parents of your choosing and help you build that relationship. We can arrange for you to have a delivery doula at the hospital should you desire. We then support you until you can sign your consents and the baby is discharged.

Once you leave the hospital, we continue meeting with you regularly until you are comfortable and wish to discontinue visits. We provide and/or pay for counseling for you for a lifetime. We can assist you with job finding, building a resume, finding a school program, daycare or whatever other self-improvement goals you may have for yourself after placement.

What are my choices in a family for my child?

An expectant parent talks with the Adoption Specialist about the things that are important to them regarding the family they’d like for their child. Some expectant parents request the agency to pick a family, and want very little involvement. Others identify the race, family composition, religion, hobbies, or other characteristics of their desired family. We will work together to meet your needs regarding the things you feel are important. If the family of your reams is not available through Absolute Love, we use a large network of connections throughout the country to find the right fit for you.

How do I find a family?

We utilize our network of connections to other agencies, family profile sites and aggressive search to find the family that meets your needs.

Can I meet the family?

You sure can! If you’d like to talk to the family beforehand, meet them, include them at the delivery, spend time with them, etc, that is up to you. We use the amount of contact you want with the family to help find the right family that is looking for the same level of openness and frequency of communication with you.

What does the post placement agreement look like?

The written and signed agreement details how often you should expect to hear from the family and in what way– a phone call, email, letter or in person visit. The agreement is made before placement happens and is mutually agreeable to you and the adoptive parents. In Pennsylvania you have the option to file this in court and make it legally enforceable. This means that if some part of the agreement is not upheld, the offended party has the opportunity to take it to court to solve if it cannot be satisfactorily settled with agency supporting as a mediary.

View this PDF for more information about Post Adoption Contact Agreements.

http://www.dhs.pa.gov/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/bulletin_admin/d_006113.pdf

How do I communicate with the family/my child?

This also depends on what is decided in the Post Adoption Contact Agreement and is individualized based on the comfort levels of both families. You can communicate directly to one another and exchange personal information, you can go through the agency who will facilitate this arrangement for you, or you can go through an outside party to communicate. This will be discussed at length and included in your agreement.

Financial support?

Legally in Pennsylvania, hopeful adoptive families are not permitted to pay for any expenses for the expectant parents related to the pregnancy or the adoption with the exception of legal or medical. We will assist you with getting Medicaid if you do not alreay have it and qualify. If you have private insurance and services rendered throughout pregnancy are not covered, the adoptive family covers those expenses.

Unfortunately we cannot provide financial support in the form of rent, groceries, bills, etc.

What about legal representation?

You are not required to have your own attorney, but you are encouraged to. The agency covers the cost of any expenses related to your legal counsel. Best practice is that you at least consult with an attorney to know your rights and options, and it should be an attorney separate from the attorney the family is using.