Help! Can I Choose Adoption if I’m pregnant and in a bad relationship?
By Melissa Camacho
If you are a birth mother experiencing an unplanned pregnancy while in an abusive relationship, we can help. We are a very understanding and empathetic private adoption agency that will work with you to overcome the obstacles that suppress you emotionally. Going through an abusive relationship can affect you mentally and physically. It affects your pregnancy by causing physical and mental stress. You have every right to seek help and learn how you can be protected. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we prioritize a birth mother’s safety throughout her pregnancy and adoption journey.
Every birth mother goes through different types of situations and circumstances and is in need of support. You are not alone. Our professional adoption team will guide you toward creating a flexible adoption plan. When you explore your adoption options, you will unlock many solutions to manage your pregnancy. Normally, it takes time to determine the type of resources you need to get you through the adoption process. It is our privilege to protect you from any form of violence while guiding you through the steps to create an adoption plan.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
How Can Adoption Choices of Colorado Help Me Create an Adoption Plan?
To have better outcomes or results from your adoption plan, take the time to rethink or evaluate your adoption options. If you are pregnant and considering adoption, you can search for adoption agencies in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder. The first step is meeting one-on-one with an adoption specialist to discuss your options in choosing an open-adoption, semi-adoption, or closed-adoption. Open adoption is your best choice if you want a large amount of contact with the adoptive family through calls, mail, social media, and family visits.
A semi-adoption enables you to have a more restricted level of communication with the adoptive family. This means you can share photos, videos, and letters through a third party or adoption agency. The adoptive family can also be present during your birth delivery date. You can take photos and get to know more about the family. If you prefer not to have any level of contact, you may want a closed adoption.
Our adoption agencies in Colorado can also assist you in searching for an adoptive parent match. Visit our waiting families profile page to learn about different types of adoptive families throughout Colorado. You will see a diverse list of adoptive parents, from single to married couples and LGBTQ + families. A home study will be conducted to ensure your child will reside and grow in a safe, caring, and loving environment. A caseworker usually does background checks, face-to-face interviews, and reviews financial documents to ensure the adoptive parents are able to provide for their child.
If you need financial support for monthly expenses that affect your livelihood, you may qualify for financial assistance. Financial support with a private Denver adoption can cover housing, rent, transportation, utilities, food, and medical needs. Adoption Choices of Colorado can also assist you with looking for affordable housing if you need a safe place to stay.
Does the Birth Father Need to be Part of My Adoption Plan?
Being in an abusive relationship with someone who is the birth father of your child does not need to interfere with your decisions. You can proceed with your adoption plan with or without his consent. It is up to you if you want to have the birth father involved with helping you make decisions to finalize your adoption. For further consultation, speak to your adoption specialist, or you can request to speak with an attorney as well. Adoption is your decision, and we will not pressure or judge you based on your final decisions. If anything, we are here to support and advise you of your rights.
Are There Ways I Can Get Protection From an Abusive Relationship?
Yes, there are ways you can protect yourself from any kind of abuse: mental, physical, and sexual. You can request to be connected to a caseworker. The caseworker can connect you with a legal representative and inquire about getting a restraining order against your abuser. Therapists are available to reach out to you either on-site from our location or off-site. It’s an opportunity for you to get mental health treatment for emotions related to anxiety, depression, stress, and PTSD.
In addition, you can call 911 if you feel it’s the best way to stop experiencing domestic violence. You can speak in language codes to refer specifically to the issue you are reporting. One example is the word cake; you can say I need a cake delivered to my house asap. This is useful if you need to call 911 and privately report the abuse. The operator may interpret it as you are experiencing domestic violence and need help at your door right away. You can ask for more information about using codes with the operator.
Seek Advice from Our Adoption Counseling Support Services
If you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed, frustrated, and going through trauma, you may seek counseling. You will be connected to one of our adoption counselors. With our counseling support services, birth mothers are encouraged to be open about the hardships that interfere with their decisions and their well-being. Some birth moms are afraid to talk with someone, and it’s okay to have birth mother fears. Choosing adoption in Colorado is not easy to grasp, but if you feel unable to raise a child on your own, adoption is worth a try. However, without our counseling support group sessions, it would not be as easy for some birth moms to get through their adoption journey.
Pregnant and in a Bad Relationship? An adoption is an Option
It can be a traumatizing experience placing your baby for adoption when you are suffering from abuse or lack of support. We want you to know it’s ok to feel afraid. When you reach out to an adoption agency in Colorado, we will work toward your and your baby’s safety. All birth moms are welcome to learn about their adoption options regardless of their challenges, culture, preferences, and background.
We do not deprive our birth mothers of exploring healthier ways to solve an unplanned pregnancy through adoption. If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!