Sometimes, when people are pregnant, they aren’t able to or don’t want to keep the baby. In cases like these, you have a few options, such as abortion or giving the baby up for adoption. Both choices come with a lot of questions. Here are three facts about adoption.
1. Types of Adoption
There are two main types of adoption, open and closed. Open adoptions are the most common type in the United States, where most or all communication between birth and adoptive families is easily facilitated. With this option, the birth family can meet with an adoption agency to choose an ideal adoptive family and keep in touch with the adoptive family after the adoption. In closed adoptions, an adoption agency chooses the child’s placement rather than the birth parents. These adoptions typically don’t entail much contact between the birth and adoptive families, if any. In most cases, only the birth parents’ medical information is shared. There’s also a third option called a semi-open adoption, which incorporates elements of both open and closed adoptions. Usually, this means the birth family can choose the adoptive family but only medical information is shared with the adoptive family.
2. Adoption Processes
While many aspects of adoption are the same across states, some parts of the process may vary depending on your state of residence. You should specifically research adoption in Iowa if you live in that state, for example, rather than doing general adoption research. Depending on your situation and the state in which you live, you may choose to go through with an independent adoption, an agency adoption or kinship adoption. Independent adoptions are typically handled by adoption attorneys, but you can still get counseling through adoption agencies. Agency adoptions are assisted by agencies, which must be licensed by your state of residence and can guide you through the entire process from pregnancy options counseling to the legal aspects. Kinship adoption is adoption by people who are biologically related to you and can be facilitated by attorneys, adoption agencies or your state of residence’s human services department.
3. Emotional Labor
Adoption may be the best choice for you, but even the best options can come with emotional labor, particularly when you’re trying to do right by your baby. This is a major decision that can impact you emotionally and your child’s life and future, and it’s not uncommon to feel anxious or overwhelmed about making it. You may feel guilty about giving your baby up, or need to grieve your child’s absence, even if you are at peace with your decision to give him or her up for adoption. Talking to a counselor and making informed decisions with the help of adoption agencies can lift some of this emotional burden, help you make the right decisions for yourself and your baby and provide support after the adoption is finalized.
Adoption can be a good option for many people who can’t keep a baby after they give birth. It can be intimidating to learn about the process, but if you think it might be right for you, it’s a good idea to learn as much as possible about it.
