Choosing Adoption Is Never “Giving up”
Choosing adoption may not be a simple journey, but it is a rewarding one. You are making a brave, selfless and heroic decision for your child, and that is beautiful. As a prospective birth mother, you want only what is best for your baby, and adoption can bring plenty of love into their life. But, how does the adoption process work?
To learn more about it works right now, you can contact us whenever you need help and get free adoption information now. But, if you want some of the finer details, we created this guide on “giving a baby up” for adoption in Maryland in five steps.
Step 1: Decide That Adoption Is Right for You and Your Child
Before you jump into the adoption journey right away, you will need to be 100% sure that “giving your baby up” for adoption in Maryland is right for you and your child. Consider each of your unplanned pregnancy options (parenting, abortion and adoption) before committing to a path.
We also want to clarify something. As you’ve been researching adoption, you may have come across the phrase, “give my baby up for adoption.” It is one of the most common phrases people use when they talk about adoption, but it completely misses the point. When you choose adoption, you are not “giving up.” You are giving your child a life of love and opportunity. Adoption is a decision made out of a profound love for your child, and it’s incredibly selfless.
Step 2: Make an Adoption Plan with a Trusted Adoption Professional
Once you have decided that adoption is right for you and your child, you will need to create an adoption plan. This is a detailed outline of all your wants and needs throughout the adoption journey. But, if you’re wondering how to go about “giving your baby up” for adoption in Maryland, you’ll want to work with an adoption agency to help you make this adoption plan.
Working with the right adoption agency is one of the most important parts of your adoption experience. This decision can go a long way toward ensuring that your adoption journey is as smooth and stress-free as possible.
If you work with a national adoption agency, then you can even look at adoptive family profiles outside of Maryland. Here are a handful of adoption agencies you can work with:
- American Adoptions
- Alliance for Children
- Bethany Christian Services
- Gladney Center for Adoption
- Lifetime Adoption
Step 3: Choose the Right Adoptive Family for Your Child
Many prospective birth mothers feel a sense of reassurance when they begin looking for adoptive families. When it comes to how to “give a baby up” for adoption in Maryland, your adoption professional will help you every step of the way. This includes helping you find the right adoptive family for your child while keeping your preferences in mind.
Alongside your adoption professional, you will browse adoptive family profiles that should give you an idea of their parenting styles, hobbies, personalities and more. Some adoption agencies provide both print and video profiles, and these can be helpful when you’re picturing what kind of life they would provide for your child.
Be sure to consider this component as you search for an adoption agency to work with.
Step 4: Create Your Hospital Plan with Your Adoption Professional
Now that you’ve selected an adoptive family, you can make your hospital plan with the help of your adoption professional.
Similar to how your adoption is a detailed outline of your adoption journey, your hospital plan is a detailed outline of your hospital stay. When you’re “giving your baby up” for adoption in Maryland, you will need to think about how you would like your hospital stay to go.
To help get you started, here are some things that you get to decide:
- Who you’d like to hold your baby first
- Who you want to be in the hospital room to support you
- How much time you would like to spend with your newborn
- If you want to leave a gift, such as a photo or a letter, for your baby
- And more
As mandated by Maryland’s adoption laws, you’ll wait 72 hours after delivery before signing any adoption paperwork. This is so that you can recover before signing anything important for “giving a baby up” for adoption.
Your adoption professional can connect you with a reputable adoption attorney, and they can ensure that everything is handled in a fair, legal and ethical fashion.
In the meantime, you can use this period to get to know the adoptive family a little better. Through open adoption, you can build a lifelong bond with your child and their adoptive parents, so you can continue getting to know them over the years.
Step 5: Adjust to Your New Life as a Birth Parent
Once you have signed the adoption paperwork for “giving your baby up” for adoption in Maryland, you are officially a birth parent. Keep in mind that adoption is never “goodbye.” Instead, it is simply “see you later.”
You can begin adjusting to your new life as a birth parent, and you can stay in touch with your child and their adoptive family, too. As a prospective birth mother, you get to choose how you all maintain contact. Here are some examples of what you can choose from:
- Phone calls
- Texts
- In-person visits
- Handwritten letters
- Zoom or Skype
- Emails
- Or whatever you feel comfortable with
You may also experience some complex emotions of adoption, and this is completely normal. “Giving a baby up” for adoption in Maryland is not easy, and that’s why there is free, 24/7 counseling out there to help you process these complicated feelings. You can contact us whenever you may need help.
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This can be a lot of information to soak in at once, so we understand if you have some more questions. To learn more about how to “give a baby up” for adoption in Maryland, you can contact us online at any time and get more free information now.