What Are My Unexpected Pregnancy Options In Colorado
By Nicole Hatton
Have you just received news of an unplanned pregnancy or feel unsure of what to do with your baby? If you’re pregnant and don’t want the baby or not in a good place to parent, there are a few different options for you. You can choose to become a parent, terminate your pregnancy, or pick one of three adoption options. Whatever you decide, Adoption Choices of Colorado will be there to support you.
If you’re considering adoption, various adoption agencies in Colorado can guide you through the adoption process or provide resources on other topics. Keep reading to learn more about open, semi-open, closed adoption and their benefits.
How Open Adoption Works in Colorado
If you would like to keep communication with the adoptive parents and possibly your adoptive child, you may consider open adoption. In an open adoption, the adoptive family and birth mother exchange identifying information, and you can help choose the adoptive family. However, you are not co-parenting, and the adoptive family has permanent legal rights and responsibilities for your child. You can choose the level of contact that you feel comfortable with keeping and what the adoptive family is willing to have.
Whether that is receiving occasional email updates or regularly talking on the phone, you decide how much openness you would like. You could even do in-person visits and exchange pictures! Open adoption is a long-term commitment, so you can maintain a relationship with the adoptive family and your child throughout their lives.
What is a Semi-Open Adoption?
Semi-open adoption is similar to open adoption, but there are boundaries established. The birth mother and/or parents can have communication with the adoptive family, but it may be through an adoption agency or attorney. Additionally, some identifying information about the adoptive family can be shared, but there can be limitations to prioritizing privacy. They can still exchange letters and pictures, but the communication can be less frequent than in an open adoption. However, both open and semi-open adoptions can be customized to meet certain needs, and the arrangement can evolve over time.
Benefits of Open or Semi-Open Adoption
Open or semi-open adoption can be a good choice if you would like to continue watching your child grow up. It can assure you that your child is safe and healthy, which may put you at ease. This can give you a sense of control since you can choose who the adoptive family will be and have greater satisfaction with the adoption process. If you would like to share more about your family background or other important information in the future, you could do so! The birth father and grandparents can see how your child is doing as well. This can lessen the feeling of loss for the birth mother and her family involved.
For the adoptive child, having some open communication or connection can help answer any questions they may have. These could include understanding why they were placed for adoption, who their birth parents are, and who they are themselves. They can have first-hand answers to lingering questions instead of possibly trying to search for answers themselves. This could be cultural or ethnic-related things, random habits, medical conditions, and more. They could also benefit from knowing that they look like someone else or have comfort in knowing they have blood connections.
Who is a Closed Adoption for, and How Does it Work?
If you’re considering adoption but don’t want communication afterward, closed adoption may be the best choice for you. In a closed adoption, the birth parents and adoptive family do not know each other. Identifying information is not shared, and there is no contact between them during the child’s development and in the future. The birth mother can see her baby after birth in the hospital, but the communication stops there. This also includes social and medical information. The adoptive family does not have to tell their child that they are adopted either.
Benefits of a Closed Adoption
Some potential benefits of a closed adoption may include having a high level of privacy and maintaining comfortable boundaries. If you do not wish to revisit your adoption decision later in life, closed adoption could help you find emotional closure. If you’re worried about potential conflicts in the future, establishing these boundaries can prevent you from dealing with them. By distancing yourself this way, your child could also focus better on their new adoptive family. Choosing to do a closed adoption for your baby does not necessarily make you less loving as a mother. Adoption is not an easy decision to make, and it can be too painful to have ongoing contact.
Other Resources Surrounding Adoption, Logistics, and Other Concerns
If you are having trouble deciding on which type of adoption to do, Adoption Choices of Colorado can help you. You can receive free counseling and speak with adoption professionals who will be there to support you. We can work with you to create an adoption plan by picking an adoptive family and ensuring you have financial and emotional support. After this, we can also help you create a hospital plan that details what you want during your hospital stay. You can also receive post-placement support as well and get connected to support groups.
All of this is a part of the adoption process steps. Adoption in Colorado is safe, and you can trust the various adoption agencies in Colorado. Even if you are unsure about adoption and want to discuss parenting or termination, our adoption specialists can help you with that. Whatever you decide to do, you will be supported throughout your pregnancy journey.
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!