Adoption in Arkansas

5 Steps to “Giving Up” Your Baby for Adoption in Arkansas [A Complete Guide]

If you are a woman in Arkansas who is facing an unplanned pregnancy, you might be considering adoption.

It is common to feel apprehension about the prospect of “giving up your baby,” but know that you are not alone in making this brave decision.    

Some of the questions you might be asking are:

These questions are likely overwhelming right now, but this guide will answer them for you. You also have the support of professionals who will come alongside you to help determine the right choice for you and your life circumstances. If you choose adoption, professionals at licensed agencies will walk you through the initial stages of your adoption and be there for you through finalization – and even beyond.

As a birth mother, you should be treated with the utmost respect and placed at the center of the adoption process. Some Arkansas adoption agencies that you may reach out to for this support are:

How to Put Your Baby Up for Adoption in Arkansas [5 Steps to Placing baby for adoption]

Your Arkansas adoption process will consist of five steps and will likely be facilitated by an adoption agency. Because your agency will be so instrumental in your adoption, you will want to make sure that they are licensed in Arkansas, have a good track record, and are available to you whenever you need them. Additionally, they should reassure you that you are in control of your adoption journey.

The five steps to placing your baby for adoption in Arkansas are:

  1. Decide that adoption is right for you.
  2. Write an adoption plan and a hospital plan.
  3. Choose a family for your child.
  4. Prepare for placement.
  5. Adjust to life after adoption

Step 1 – Decide That Adoption Is Right for You

Some women decide very quickly that putting their baby up for adoption in Arizona is the right choice for them, and other women struggle to arrive at the right choice for them. Of course, adoption is rewarding for many women in Arkansas who are facing an unplanned pregnancy, but there are three options available:

  1. Parenting
  2. Abortion
  3. Adoption

As you contemplate this life-changing decision, you can access free resources and sound advice from professionals with your best interests in mind. If you are still deciding between unplanned pregnancy options, you might begin by exploring the following:

Contacting an adoption agency – national or local — can help you think through what an Arkansas adoption would be like for you. Expressing interest in putting a baby up for adoption does not obligate you to choose adoption, and you can be sure that your information will be kept confidential.

Step 2 – Write an Adoption Plan [What Choices do I Have When Putting Baby Up for Adoption?]

Once you choose to “give your baby up” for adoption in Arkansas, you will be guided through the process of creating an adoption plan.

An adoption plan is a blueprint for what you want your adoption to look like, and you will have control over the process to make it what you need it to be. Some important decisions that you will get to make clear in this document are:

Since creating an adoption plan is one of the first things you will do as a prospective birth mother, you may find that you want to change some of the decisions you make initially. You can change or add to your preferences at any time in the adoption process, and until you sign the adoption paperwork, you will retain all parental rights.

Step 3 – Choose an Adoptive Family [Placing Your Baby for Adoption in the Perfect Home]

Beyond the many choices you get to make when you write your adoption plan, you will also be given the opportunity to decide which adoptive family is right for your baby. In fact, this is one of the most important decisions related to placing your baby up for adoption in Arkansas, and it is likely that you have many questions about this process.

First, there are many hopeful parents around the nation – and in Arkansas – who would be overjoyed by the gift of growing their family through adoption. Whether they are a same-sex couple, a couple struggling with infertility, or a couple who just have a heart for adoption, there is no shortage of potential adoptive parents for your baby.

AJ, an adoptive father, said, “It’s one of the greatest gifts anybody has given me – to choose me to be a father. I don’t think we could ever repay [the birth mother] enough… it’s the coolest, most unselfish gift anybody can give you.”

Your adoption professional will consult your adoption plan and compare it with the Adoption Preference Questionnaire that each hopeful adoptive family fills out at the beginning of their adoption journey. They will consider your needs first and then allow you to review the family profiles that they think might be a good fit. If you are working with a national agency, you may have dozens – or even hundreds – of profiles to choose from, while if you are working with a local agency, you may only have a handful.

Profiles often include:

When a family stands out to you, you will contact your adoption specialist who will then facilitate your first contact between you and the hopeful adoptive couple. This will likely consist of a mediated phone conversation. At this point, you will be well on your way to placing your baby for adoption in Arkansas.

Step 4 – Prepare for Placement

The first contact between you and your baby’s adoptive parents can be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

The details of this relationship are up to you. You can continue with phone calls, write letters or emails, or even visit with one another in person. Some women choose to maintain more distance or interact with mediation from adoption specialists. This time between choosing the perfect family for your child and placing your baby up for adoption can be sensitive, and your needs are paramount.

Another preparation you might make during this time is to solidify any decisions regarding your hospital stay. Sometimes as birth mothers become acquainted with the hopeful adoptive family, their feelings change about who they want in the room with them, when they want the baby to be held by the adoptive parents, and whether they want some alone time with their baby.

Step 5 – Adjust to Life After Adoption [Post-Placement Support is Available to You]

The adoption process puts you at the center, but this does not make it automatically easy. It is a difficult process in the best circumstances, and many women report needing a period of healing afterward. Though they are confident their decision was right for them, there are still emotions that arise post-placement. You will not have to manage this alone. Your adoption agency will offer support and direct you to other resources that may help you to heal.

The post-adoption agreement can also bring you solace during the transition that occurs after putting your baby up for adoption. The assurance that there is a plan going forward can help to ease any worries and allow you to move forward in your life. Many birth mothers report that after a period of adjustment, in fact, they are able to begin living with a newfound sense of freedom and opportunity.

If you would like more information about how to put a baby up for adoption in Arkansas or need guidance as you consider this option, you can contact us online today to be connected with an adoption professional who can guide you in the direction that is best for you. You are not alone now, nor will you be if you choose to place your baby up for adoption.

You Are Never “Giving Up” Your Baby

Before you read any further, it is important that the common language of “giving your baby up” for adoption is addressed. Placing your child up for adoption is not giving up, and we know that the choice you are making is one that comes from a place of deep love and concern for your baby. You will be choosing to place your child in a loving environment with nurturing parents, and this is an immensely brave decision.

“Giving a baby up for adoption” in Arkansas is a difficult decision, and this terminology doesn’t appropriately describe the absolutely selfless gift of adoption.  

Ready to get started? Contact an adoption agency now to get free information.

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