Creating Your Adoption Plan as a Birth Mother in Colorado
Placing your child for adoption is a labor of love. It is undeniably tough to reconcile and admit that your child will have a better life with an adoptive family. However, if you play a role in getting them to that healthy and loving home, then you have right by your child.
For birth mothers who work with Adoption Choices of Colorado, you start by getting assigned a caseworker. They will help you curate your adoption plan, and guide you towards any resources that you need.
Do Your Research
When you are searching for a potential adoption center in Colorado, it’s important to do your research and to become familiar with your rights as a birth mother. Adoption is a wonderful alternative to an unplanned pregnancy, and you get to facilitate what that process looks like. It will bring certainty to your decision and alleviate some stresses or fears that you might have regarding you and your child. It’s also important for you to choose an agency that supports you as a birth mother.
Our agency has been a leader in the adoption community since 2002. Through us, you will have access to free counseling services, which extend to your child’s birth father and any other family members who would like to speak with us. In addition, depending on your personal circumstances, you may qualify for financial assistance. We understand this is a scary and uncertain time for you, but we will be there to support you throughout your adoption journey.
Select Your Child’s Adoptive Family
Choosing who will raise your child is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when creating your adoption plan as a birth mother. It’s ok to take your time and address any concerns or questions you have with your adoption caseworker. For instance, what kind of family do you want your child to grow up in? What future opportunities would you like him or her to have? Deciding these factors, we understand, can feel overwhelming. That’s why your adoption caseworker is there to help guide you and will provide profile photo books for you to review once you have narrowed down what you are looking for.
These profiles are a standard at our agency that provides details of their lives. It also includes
photos and descriptions of their home, information about each family member and a letter addressed to you, saying what kind of life they could offer your child. Through these, you can get an understanding of their character and personalities.
Thinking about what qualities and morals you want in an adoptive family is important. There are many different types of adoptive couples and individuals who are willing and eager to grow their family and build a relationship with you.
Determine the Type of Adoption
Adoption Choices of Colorado strongly encourages open adoptions, as we believe that this type of adoption agreement keeps everyone’s best interests in mind. At the same time, we also understand that sharing personal information, maintaining contact and having a relationship with both your child and your child’s adoptive parent(s) post adoption isn’t for every birth mother. This is why your adoption plan is able to be customized, and you are able to choose from two other types of adoption – semi-open and closed.
To learn more about the three types of adoption, be sure to consult with your adoption caseworker.
Attend Counseling or a Support Group
Navigating an unplanned pregnancy can be tricky. All the emotional and taxing decisions can take its toll on you. This is why we offer counseling services for birth mothers at any stage in the adoption process. Sometimes, this process can feel incredibly personal, and that may indicate a need for private counseling. All our counselors are highly-trained and compassionate. They will provide a safe, confidential and nonjudgmental environment for you to process and discuss anything you need.
Be sure to also check out Lifetime Healing, a support group for birth mothers our agency is partnered with. It doesn’t matter if you are currently placing your baby for adoption, have placed in the past or are thinking about entering into the adoption process. All birth mothers are welcome, making this a wonderful resource.
We are Here to Help
It can definitely seem daunting, stepping into the world of adoption. But you are doing a good thing for both you and your baby. There are caseworkers, legal teams, counselors, doctors, other birth moms, and even the adoptive family here to support you every step of the way. We are all here to provide the support that you need to make these heart-wrenchingly difficult decisions. You’re not alone in this, and you have a team behind you for every challenge that may come your way.
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.
Meet the Author: Katherine Burns is a journalism student at Loyola University Maryland with plans to pursue a career in the news and magazine industries. With over three years of experience writing for the Greyhound Newspaper at Loyola, Katherine specializes in Op-eds. However, she has recently branched out to cover a variety of topics, including education and sports journalism. She also has ample experience with travel blogging.
Katherine has conducted a variety of interviews in her time at Loyola and has displayed her stories through differing forms of media. In addition to her studies at Loyola, Katherine spent the fall of 2019 studying communications at the American University of Paris.To learn more about Katherine, be sure to check her out on social media.