“Giving up” your baby for adoption in New Hampshire is a brave and generous choice.

It is also a choice that can lead to new opportunities for both you and your child. It is undeniably a difficult decision to put your baby up for adoption, but you are not alone as you weigh your options and learn about the adoption process. In this guide, you will find the answer to many of your questions, like:

• How do I give up my baby for adoption in New Hampshire?
• Do I get to choose an adoptive family when I place my baby for adoption?
• What should I expect from the adoption process?

Continue reading for these answers and more. If you are ready to speak with an adoption professional who can start your adoption process, contact us online.

Finding Support for “Giving Up” Your Baby for Adoption in New Hampshire

An unplanned pregnancy can be stressful and overwhelming, but you have the support of adoption professionals ready at adoption agencies.

Whether you are certain that placing your baby for adoption is the right choice for you or if you are still contemplating your unplanned pregnancy options, adoption specialists have information and advice for you. They will help you determine the right choice for you and your baby and – if you choose adoption – walk you through the steps you need to take to start your adoption process.

You should know that there are two types of agencies that you can partner with: national or local, and each offer varying levels of support. Since national agencies have a database of adoptive families from across the country, they are able to provide you with dozens – or even hundreds – of adoption opportunities. Local agencies, on the other hand, can often only offer a handful of opportunities.

National agencies that serve New Hampshire birth mothers include:

• American Adoptions
• Alliance for Children
• Bethany Christian Services
• Gladney Center for Adoption
• Lifetime Adoption

Local agencies that serve New Hampshire birth mothers include:

• Adoptive Families for Children
• Catholic Charities of New Hampshire
• Bethany Christian Services

How to Put Your Baby Up for Adoption in New Hampshire [5 Steps to Placing Baby for Adoption]

When you choose adoption, this is the first choice that you make for your baby; there are many more to come. You are in control of your adoption journey in New Hampshire and will be placed at the center of each decision. You will choose the type of agency you want, the family you want for your child, and the type of relationship you want to have with your baby’s adoptive family. An adoption agency that is licensed in New Hampshire will guide you through these choices and will work with you to make sure that your voice is heard throughout the whole process.

The five basic steps of putting a baby up for adoption in New Hampshire are:

1. Decide that Adoption Is the Right Choice for You
2. Write an Adoption Plan
3. Choose an Adoptive Family
4. Get Ready for Placement
5. Transition to Post-Adoption Life

Step 1 – Decide that Adoption Is the Right Choice for You

An unplanned pregnancy can bring up a lot of emotions, and most women are not sure what choice they want to make right away. While adoption is a rewarding choice, there are three unplanned pregnancy options available to women in New Hampshire:

1. Parenting
2. Abortion
3. Adoption

Any of these options can be life-changing, and it is important that a woman who is facing an unplanned pregnancy receives the support and guidance they need. It may surprise you to know that adoption agencies have hotlines and birth mother specialists that are experts in providing helpful advice to women who are debating the three unplanned pregnancy choices.  These professionals are trained to help you discern the best path for you, whatever that may be.

The kind of support that you should find at a licensed agency is:

• A confidential, 24/7 hotline, like 1-800-ADOPTION
• Unplanned pregnancy counseling
• Financial coverage of medical bills, legal fees, and pregnancy-related expenses
• Guidance while you develop your adoption plans and hospital plans

Of course, your identifying information and situation will always be kept confidential when talking with an adoption professional in New Hampshire. Adoption specialists are available to help put you at ease during this difficult time and to make sure that your needs are centered – whether you choose to put your baby up for adoption or not. 

Step 2 – Write an Adoption Plan [You are in Control of Your Adoption]

Once you make the choice to place your baby for adoption in New Hampshire, you will start your collaboration with an adoption specialist to develop an adoption plan. This document will outline the way that you want the adoption to go. It will describe your preferences, needs and desires at each step in the adoption process.

If at any point you feel like an adoption professional is disregarding or diminishing your important and central role in your adoption, you are right to wonder if you are working with the right agency. There are plenty of reputable agencies that will make sure that you are in control of your adoption plan, and you have a choice about who to work with.

Important components of your adoption plan will be:

• A description of the kind of family/life you want for your child
• The frequency with which you want to have communication/interaction with adoptive parents
• A hospital plan that describes your birthing preferences, lists the people you want in your hospital room, and describes what kind of contact you want with your baby and adoptive family after birth
• The type of adoption agreement you want: open adoption, semi-open adoption, or closed adoption and what that will look like for you

Since you make a lot of decisions upfront in your adoption plan, you may worry that you have set things in stone that you might want to change as your pregnancy progresses. Your choice to “give up” your baby for adoption puts you in the driver’s seat, and you can change your mind about most details of the adoption prior to final adoption paperwork being signed.

Your adoption plan is a guide to follow, not a legally binding document. You retain full parental rights until adoption paperwork after birth is signed.

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

Many birth mothers ask, “Do I really get to choose the adoptive family for my child?”

The answer is yes. The role of the adoption agency is to gather family profiles of couples who match your expressed needs and wants. The decision about who adopts your child is completely yours. Certainly, you can invite others into the decision-making process if you feel like that would help you, but the responsibility is only yours.  

Fortunately for you, there are countless families around the nation – and many in New Hampshire – who want to adopt a baby. Your agency will present these adoption opportunities to you through family profiles, but if you are ready to view some right now, you are in luck!

We have partnered with a national agency to allow you access to some video profiles of families wanting to adopt. If you would like to browse these – whether it is to get a feel for the kinds of families who are available or to find the perfect family for your child – you can click here to view the profiles.   

Family profiles could include:

• Pictures of the family
• Description of the family’s personality and lifestyle
• Video interviews with family, friends, and the hopeful adoptive couple
• The reasons a couple wants to adopt a child
• The couple’s hopes for an adoptive child

After you review the profiles of hopeful adoptive families, you will contact your adoption specialist. Maybe you’ll have a family in mind that you want to meet, or maybe you will want to expand your search to other families. Either way, they can help you navigate your next steps. They will either send over more adoption opportunities or facilitate an initial contact with the family that interests you.

Step 4 – Get Ready for Placement

When placing your baby up for adoption in New Hampshire, you can take as much time as you need to find the perfect family. Some women are eager to get to know the adoptive family on a deeper level, and others may need privacy and time to process their decision. This is a choice that is yours to make. Whatever you need during this time is what you should get.

One task you will want to complete if it hasn’t been completed already is your hospital plan. Again, your adoption specialist will guide you through this process and communicate your needs and wants to other relevant stakeholders – like adoptive parents and health care workers.

Components of your hospital plan include:

• Your birthing preferences
• Those you would like to accompany you during labor
• Those you would like contact with after labor
• Time (if any) you want to spend with your baby during the hospital stay
• The people who you would like to leave the hospital with (one option is with the adoptive family and baby) 

In New Hampshire, a mother can sign final adoption paperwork 72 hours after giving birth. This signature indicates voluntary and legal consent to the adoption.

Step 5 – Transition to Post-Adoption Life [Support after Placing a Baby Up for Adoption]

Women who place their baby up for adoption in New Hampshire, often experience some challenges afterward. Even when they are certain that adoption is right for them, birth mothers sometimes report having to overcome unpleasant emotions after “giving up” their baby for adoption.

Going into an adoption knowing that there is a healing process afterward can help because you will be able to determine what supports you will have to lean on. As is the case in all other stages of the adoption, you will have support available to you from adoption professionals. They can give you counsel and direct you to other resources that can help you find peace of mind.

Having a post-adoption agreement with your baby’s adoptive parents can also help you to heal. The adoption agreement offers a birth mother something to look forward to. Just knowing what to expect from the adoption relationship has the potential to help a birth mother manage the grief that she feels. This period of adjustment is typical, but most women are relieved to find that they now have the freedom to rethink their life goals and move forward into the next stage of their life.

You Are Never “Giving Up” Your Baby

A common way you might hear people refer to the beautiful choice to place your baby for adoption is “giving up a baby for adoption.” It is so typical, in fact, that we even use it to make sure that we connect with women who need more information about adoption.

To communicate our belief that that placing your baby up for adoption is never “giving up”, you will notice that we placed quotation marks around “giving up.” Pursuing adoption is not “giving your baby away” or “giving up.” Rather it is giving your child a safe and loving home, giving yourself the opportunity to determine your future, and giving a couple the chance to grow their family.

“Giving up” a baby for adoption in New Hampshire is a difficult decision made from a place of deep love for a child. This language is simply not an accurate way to describe the challenges birth mothers go through and the bravery they demonstrate. Expectant mothers place their babies up for adoption to ensure that they are offered opportunities, stability, and support throughout their life. 

Putting your baby up for adoption is generous and selfless.

If you have any other questions about how to put a baby up for adoption in New Hampshire contact us today to speak with an adoption professional. They can help you to find the path that is best for you and then help you navigate your next steps. You are not alone in this decision to place your baby up for adoption.