Can you change your mind if you give your baby up for adoption in Colorado?
By Connor Shelton
Choosing to place a child up for adoption can be incredibly stressful and leave you flooded with questions. As a birth mother, you might wonder about the adoption types and what role a birth father plays in the adoption. We’re more than glad to answer those questions and ones you’re more hesitant to share. Typically, these involve doubts about your character and if you’re making the right choice. However, it all typically culminates in one of the most common questions we receive about the adoption process. “Can I change my mind after I decide to give a baby up for adoption?” If this thought is going through your head, here’s what you need to know when considering a private adoption in Colorado.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Is It Wrong To Change My Mind About Adoption?
Before we even consider the rules of adoption and how it can be reversed, we need to make one thing clear. You are completely justified in your choice to place a baby up for adoption and to change your mind. This is your baby, so it’s perfectly understandable that you wouldn’t want to let them go, even if adoption is the best option for them. Questioning whether adoption is the right choice can be startling, but it’s good to reevaluate your capability to raise the child. And if you find adoption isn’t right for you or your child, that’s perfectly fine.
Can I Change My Mind About a CO Adoption Before My Child Is Born?
To state it bluntly, yes. You can change your mind about adoption in Colorado before your child is born because the child is still yours. Even if you’ve planned out the whole adoption process and established who you want the child to go to, you still have parental rights. You retain them up until you sign final relinquishment papers. And before you ask, no, you’re not likely to have signed final relinquishment papers without your knowledge. Such documents are only presented after birth.
Because you are the mother of the child, you don’t need to sign any papers upon canceling the adoption. We’ll handle the termination process and notify the adoptive parents that you’ve decided to raise your child. Don’t feel too guilty about the disrupted adoption. We won’t feel betrayed by your decision, and the adoptive parents will no doubt be paired with another birth mother looking to adopt out her child.
Can I Change My Mind About Adoption After My Child Is Born?
Upon the termination of your parental rights, you cannot change your mind about adoption. It’s set in stone. This can be hard to process, but it’s important you know these things now while you’re considering your adoption options, so you don’t get hurt later in the process. As you take a moment to let this sink in, know that we offer counselors to comfort you after birth. They’re not just there to help you process your choice but also ease you during the cathartic period after birth.
While you aren’t allowed to reclaim your child after you terminate your parental rights, you still have the option to see them. If you choose an open or semi-open adoption, you can set ground rules with the adoptive parents over what kind of contact you’ll have with them. You can determine how frequently you can write to your child or receive pictures of them as they grow up. It’s a small caveat in this difficult process that tests your strength as a person, but it goes a long way in easing any pain you might have surrounding your decision.
What If I’m Not Certain That a Private Adoption in Colorado Is Right For Me Throughout The Adoption Process?
It’s no secret that the Colorado adoption process can be a rollercoaster of emotions. You’re choosing to give your child away to someone you likely don’t know, and that’s scary. The best thing to do in this situation is to talk to someone. This can be anyone: your birth counselor, another mom who went through the adoption process, or even any other adoption professional. Communicating with people who have experienced the entire adoption process can help alleviate any doubts you have. It can help you understand and decipher your feelings in a way that will put you at ease with your choices. There might still be uncertainty, but you’ll be able to trust your intuition as you go through the process. And if you have doubts, we’ll help guide you.
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!