You probably have a lot of questions after deciding to place your baby for adoption in New Hampshire:

• Do I get to choose an adoptive family for my baby?”
• “How will I find adoptive parents for my baby in New Hampshire?”
• “Are there many parents wanting to adopt a baby?”
• “What qualities should I look for in families wanting to adopt my baby?”

As a prospective birth mother in New Hampshire, you will absolutely have the opportunity to select the perfect family for your baby. You are in control, and this is perhaps the most important choice you get to make in the adoption process. While the choice is yours alone, you will not be without guidance. Adoption professionals will help you to navigate the process.

This guide has the answers you need to the questions above. If you are ready to begin your adoption, you can reach out to an adoption professional today.

Do I Get to Choose the Adoptive Family for My Child in New Hampshire?

Yes. You get to choose the family who will adopt your child in New Hampshire. The decision to pursue adoption is made from a place of deep love for your baby and made in the interest of their well-being. Whatever you envision for them, you will have the chance to choose a family who holds some of the same values and dreams for your child.

Here’s how that works:

• An adoption specialist at a licensed adoption agency will sit down with you and listen to the qualities and character traits you want in an adoptive family.
• They will ask intentional questions to help you define what kind of family you want for your child, and then they will make this description a part of your official adoption plan.
• Equipped with your description of the kind of family you want for your baby, your adoption specialist will look to their database of available families and gather a list for you to review.
• Your first interaction with hopeful adoptive families will be via family profiles that will either be in print or video form.
• You will take the time you need with them and then let your adoption specialist know when one of them catches your attention.

Adoption specialists know how important it is that you get to choose the family for your baby. They know that your decision to “give your child up” for adoption has its challenges, and that being put in control of the process means a lot.

They will do their best to match you with the family that is right for your baby because they know this choice will influence their lives greatly and provide you with the assurance that you need.

What Should I Look for in an Adoptive Family in New Hampshire?

If you are unsure what you are looking for in an adoptive family in New Hampshire, it might be helpful to take some time to journal about the qualities that you appreciated in your parents, guardians, or other significant adults. If applicable, journal about the qualities that you wish the adults in your life had during your adolescence.

As you contemplate the characteristics that matter to you most, some helpful questions to consider are:

• Do I want my child to grow up in a big family? How many siblings do I want them to have?
• Am I comfortable with my baby entering a family with older children?
• Are there values that I want my child to learn from their family?
• Do I want my child to participate in certain activities?
• What type of adoption agreement do I want?
• Do I want my child to participate in a particular faith?
• Do I want my child to live in a rural community, an urban neighborhood, or a suburban area?

As you read and answer these questions, you may have strong reactions to some, and others you may feel indifferent about. And that’s okay! Listen to your reactions and follow your instincts. Express them to your adoption specialist so that they can help you prioritize what matters to you most and find the perfect adoptive family for your child.

How Can I Find Parents to Adopt My Baby in New Hampshire?

Finding parents to adopt your baby is difficult when you are not partnered with an adoption agency. In many ways, adoption agencies work on your behalf to facilitate adoptions. You do not have to pay for any of their services, and they work hard to make sure that your voice is heard and that you continue to be in control of the adoption process.

When you work with a national agency, you will have the advantage of a much larger pool of families hoping to adopt from across the country. In most cases, you will be given dozens or even hundreds of adoption opportunities with a national agency. With a local agency, you will probably have a handful of adoptive family profiles to review.

If you are ready to speak to someone now, reach out to an adoption specialist today.

When you work with a licensed agency, you will collaborate with professionals who will guide you through the process to find an adoptive family in New Hampshire. Here’s how that will work:

Step 1: Describe what qualities you want in an adoptive family.

Whether you know exactly the kind of adoptive family you want for your baby or need help articulating this, your adoption specialist will help you to find the perfect adoptive family for your baby. Asking yourself the right questions and viewing some family profiles can help you to come up with some qualities and characteristics of an adoptive couple that you want for your child.

Considering your guidance and parameters, your adoption specialist will help you to create the description of an ideal family that they will then use to find potential matches for you.

Step 2: Review the profiles of hopeful adoptive parents in New Hampshire.

You will have the final say regarding when or if there is a “match” made. Some women report going through the first round of family profiles without certainty, so they request more from their adoption specialist. Others have an initial contact with a potential family but decide not to pursue adoption with this family. There is no one way to go about this, and you get to make these decisions.  

Most women, after reviewing the family profiles they are given, are able to choose a family that wants to adopt and then begin communicating with them. Your first contact with them will likely be a mediated phone call with your adoption specialist. During this conversation, you can ask any questions you might have or just get a feel for who they are. You can then choose to continue your interactions or go back to viewing profiles.

If you are ready to begin familiarizing yourself with families who want to adopt, you can click here to look at adoptive family profiles now.

Step 3: Get to know the adoptive family.

When you find the perfect adoptive family for your child, you will get to enter the exciting stage of getting to know this family better and determining the kind of relationship you want with them. Remember that your consent to the adoption cannot be given until 72 hours after birth, and you are able to shift directions at any point before the final adoption papers are signed.

Regarding the kind of interaction you pursue with the adoptive family, it may help to know that most modern adoptions have some openness to them. Open adoption relationships run the gambit – some simply give each other annual updates via letters or emails and others talk frequently and get together for special occasions. You get to decide what this looks like with your baby’s adoptive family.

View New Hampshire Adoption Profiles

Maybe you are at the point in your adoption inquiry where you are not ready to commit to adoption, but you are curious what the families are like who are looking to adopt. There are countless families, and they represent the diversity of our country. We have partnered with a national adoption agency to provide you with some video profiles that could help you decide.

To begin the adoption process, you can contact an adoption professional today. They can guide you through the process of finding a family for your baby.