Placing My Baby Up For Adoption in CO During COVID-19
While COVID-19 has challenged us all, life has not stopped. Many dreams of creating their families, and they can still do this. Many birth parents need to give their children up for adoption for a life they are unable to give their child themselves. Adoption Choices of Colorado is ready and willing to help you with your adoption during COVID-19.
Financial Issues With Adoption
Unfortunately, many birth parents turn to the adoption option Denver, CO because they are unable to support all or some of their children, and COVID-19 has not helped with that. COVID-19 has greatly affected the job market and the economic welfare of families. If you or someone you know may be contemplating adoption due to financial issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, know that you are unfortunately not alone. Many families are recovering from the hardships of COVID-19. An additional mouth to feed, a child to take care of, can be difficult for anyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, but especially for someone who has taken a financial hit from the pandemic.
Can I Use a Video Call to Carry Out an Adoption During COVID-19?
Due to COVID-19, many in-person interactions are being moved online. This could include home studies, meetings, court proceedings, and certifications. Therefore, safety measures are of the utmost importance between the high exposure rate and easy spreading of the virus and the delta variant, especially where the situations concern pregnant women and children. This is especially true for young children who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine and thus may be more susceptible to the disease and any harmful effects.
Hospital and Travel Restrictions of Baby Adoption
The severity and exposure of COVID-19 has also impacted hospital and travel regulations. Depending on the state and hospital, are reducing visitor privileges to one individual to be by the expectant mother’s side during and then after the birth. This is especially difficult because some hospitals have staff and visitors fully masked during the delivery, which can feel very strange for the birth mother. A time that many wish to be magical, natural, or at least more personal may feel stripped of that due to the new safety restrictions.
As for adoptive parents, only one of the pair of parents can see the baby, following the delivery, at the hospital, according to certain hospital restrictions. If you are traveling for your child’s birth or the adoptive parents need to travel to you, you should also be aware of any travel restrictions in your state. Currently, Arizona does not have any travel restrictions or quarantine mandates for individuals visiting from other US states.
Changes To Adoption Court Proceedings
Adoption finalizations and paperwork in the courts have also been adjusted and rescheduled whenever COVID-19 outbreaks have risen. Virtual court appointments are a fairly new thing that many people are still getting used to as well. This can lead to slower processing times, more work, and a need for more patience for court workers, caseworkers, judges, and all parties involved in the adoptions. Remember, this is a new situation for everyone involved, and all parties will need to try to be as patient and understanding as possible.
Adoption and Social Media
Due to all the time on people’s hands being cooped inside during the pandemic, social media has become bigger than ever. Social media has been of aid for keeping in touch with loved ones during the pandemic. However, at this time, many birth parents have been using social media to investigate and better get to know the people who will adopt their children since they are unable to meet with them in person. Many adoptive parents are also using social media to look into the backgrounds of the birth parents they may adopt for similar reasoning.
Choosing To Put Your Child Up For Adoption
There seem to be more last-minute plans for expectant mothers wanting to put a child up for adoption. If you are considering placing your child up for adoption toward the end of your pregnancy or right after having your child, know that this is not as unusual as you may think. Considering adoption later than others or directly following your child’s birth is a completely valid decision that many women come to. Possibly due to COVID-19, these decisions seem to be pushed back later and later for expectant mothers as normality and time have been disrupted by the disease.
Adoption During COVID-19
COVID-19 has complicated life for everyone, and unfortunately, the building of families is no exception. The Colorado adoption process during COVID-19 can be an especially difficult thing. While we all meander through the unknown of our new normal, there is no reason families cannot still be formed through love and care. Adoption Choices of Colorado is happy to help you through these uncertain times.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
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: Carly is a recent graduate of Connecticut College with a dual degree in Psychology and Italian Studies. Graduating Cum Laude with honors in both Psychology and Italian departments, Carly has a background in gender-related research through the Connecticut College Psychology Department and Honors Theses Program. When not trying to figure out life or working, Carly is reading historical fiction novels or playing with her black cat, Isabelle.
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!