Adoption in Missouri

5 Steps to “Giving Up” Your Baby for Adoption in Missouri

It is a brave and selfless act to give up a baby for adoption. Expectant mothers in Missouri choose adoption out of love for their baby. The decision to place a child in adoption is made in the best interest of the child, and it has the potential to offer both the birth mother and the child opportunities they otherwise may not have been given.

If you are considering putting your baby up adoption in Missouri, you might be asking questions like:

This guide will answer these questions and explain the five steps involved in putting your baby up for adoption in Missouri.

Though you may be overwhelmed with questions right now, you are not alone in this process, and will soon have answers to many of your questions. The right adoption professional should ease some of your worry, assure you that you are in control of this process, and help you to make the decision that is right for you. They will walk with you through the entire adoption process, guiding you along the way.   

Missouri adoption professionals are available to assist you at the following agencies:

How to Put Your Baby Up for Adoption in Missouri [5 Steps]

The process of adoption in Missouri is similar to other states. However, there are regional-specific guidelines and resources you should consider. It is important that you work with a local or national agency that is licensed in Missouri, has years of experience, and who have adoption specialists available to you whenever you need them. 

The five steps when placing your newborn for adoption in Missouri are:

  1. Decide that placing your baby for adoption is the best choice for you.
  2. Create an adoption plan with an adoption specialist at an agency.
  3. Select the perfect family to adopt your baby.
  4. Prepare for placement.
  5. Adjust to postadoption life.

Step 1: Decide That Placing Your Baby Up for Adoption is Right for You

Adoption is a beautiful choice available to expectant mothers, but it is not the only choice you have. There are three options for women facing an unplanned pregnancy in Missouri, and only you can decide which is right for you:

  1. Parenting
  2. Abortion
  3. Adoption

This is a difficult decision, but you are not alone in it. There are many free resources available to you. If you are struggling to find the support you need, you might find it in one of these resources:

Adoption professionals from licensed adoption agencies can help you understand what the adoption experience is like and offer you the necessary support during this decision period. Inquiries about putting a baby up for adoption in Missouri do not obligate you to choose adoption, your confidential information will always be respected, and adoption professionals will support whatever decision you make.

Step 2: Create an Adoption Plan [You are in Control When Putting Baby Up For Adoption]

Once you are working with an agency and an adoption specialist, they will guide you through developing an adoption plan. An adoption plan places you and your needs at the center of your adoption. It will be able to solidify and put into writing:

Your adoption plan is not legally binding, which means that, prior to adoption finalization, you have the right to change your mind on any of the decisions you make. As the birth mother, you will also retain your parental rights until you sign adoption paperwork.

Step 3: Choose the Perfect Adoptive Family in Missouri [Or in Another State]

One of the most important choices that you get to make when placing your baby up for adoption in Missouri is choosing the family who will adopt your child. There are many loving couples hoping to adopt in Missouri, but you will not be limited to placing your child in-state. When you work with a local agency, the handful of family profiles they will make available to you will be of families in your area, but when you work with a national agency, you will have exponentially more choice, and families will be from anywhere in the country.

Thanks to our partnership with a larger, national adoption agency, you can look through adoptive family profiles on our site when you click here.

At this point in the adoption process, your adoption specialist will compare the specifics in your adoption plan with the preferences of hopeful adoptive families. You will review the family profiles that may include:

Carmen, a birth mother, expressed that, while her adoption decision was difficult, selecting the right adoptive family was much easier:

“I spent the next several weeks combing through what must have been dozens of wonderful families. Then, I found them — the couple that I immediately felt connected to,” Carmen said.

Step 4: Prepare for Placement

After selecting a family for your child, you will likely have contact with them through a mediated phone call with your adoption specialist. From there, you will communicate with them in the ways that make you most comfortable. Many expectant mothers placing their baby up for adoption in Missouri continue correspondence or visits with the adoptive family, but others require some space and privacy.

You will want to give a lot of thought to what type of adoption you want to pursue with the adoptive family. While you likely have expressed some preferences at this point, you can reevaluate as you get to know them. Again, you are in control and can revise your plan as needed.

In Missouri, a birth mother has to wait at least 48 hours after birth before signing adoption paperwork. This paperwork will communicate voluntary and legal consent to the adoption. After signing adoption paperwork, a birth mother cannot change her mind.

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

Many birth mothers report the need for healing after “giving up” their baby for adoption. Even when they feel at peace with the decision, it is undoubtedly one of the most difficult decisions that a woman must make. You will have some good days and some bad days, and you will want to have a support system in place when you are feeling low. There are countless resources available to help you through this time.

One thing that can bring some peace of mind is knowing that the post-adoption agreement is in place and that you know what to expect from the post-adoption relationship between you, your child, and their adoptive parents. After a period of adjustment, you may find that you are able to begin living with a new sense of freedom and opportunity. 

If you would like more information about how to put a baby up for adoption in Missouri or need help as you consider this unplanned pregnancy option, contact us today to be connected with an adoption professional.

You are not alone in this decision or in the adoption process.

You Are Never “Giving Up” Your Baby

A common way of describing a birth mother’s involvement in adoption is to say that she is “giving up” her baby for adoption. Before you go any further on your adoption journey, it is important that we address the fact that when you finalize an adoption, you are not “giving up” your baby. Instead, you are placing your child in a loving home with parents who have been waiting and hoping for the gift of a child.

“Giving up” a baby for adoption in Missouri is a difficult and brave decision, and the way that we talk about it should match the heroism of the choice and in no way diminish it.

Janelle, who placed her twins up for adoption, sums it up perfectly:

“You’re not giving your babies up,” she said. “You’re just giving them a better life… it’s unselfish, you know? That’s their lives you’re thinking about — it’s not just your life. You’re giving them the opportunity to live the best life that they can, and the life you know that you can’t give them.”

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

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