What Can I Do as a Birth Father in the Adoption Process?
By Isabelle Sitchon
It’s known that the birth mother is heavily involved in the adoption process from the beginning. With the help of her adoption specialist, she creates an adoption plan and chooses an adoptive family for her child. You might even wonder what can I do as a birth father in the adoption process? However, oftentimes the birth father is left out of the adoption process. There are some unfortunate situations where the birth mother does not know the father of her child. In other situations, the birth father refuses to engage in the adoption process. It may seem like the birth father is painted out to be uninvolved. However, a birth father can play an important role when placing a baby up for adoption.
But what exactly would your role be? At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we are here to help guide you. The adoption process can be a very difficult journey, regardless if you and the birth mother are together or not. With your help, it will make it easier to find a loving home for your child. It is important that the birth father understands his responsibilities to ensure that his child is adopted into the right family.
Creating an Adoption Plan
When you both decide to place your baby for a CO adoption, you will create an adoption plan. This involves choosing the type of adoption you’d like for your child. There are three options you choose from: open, semi-open, and closed. You and the birth mother will determine the level of openness and degree of contact you’d like to have with the adoptive family. With more open adoption, the adoptive family you choose will be in constant communication with you. You may have the chance to remain in contact with your child after their adoption if you choose to.
The adoption process is different for everyone. Even if you and the mother are not together, you are able to help make important decisions. Together, the two of you can make an agreement. Here at Adoption Choices, we will support you in your journey along with the birth mother. We will give you as much time as you need to determine the best course of action for your child.
Choosing an Adoptive Family Together With the Birth Mother
We encourage our birth fathers at our private adoption in Colorado to be involved in choosing the adoptive family for your child. Along with the birth mother, you two will be able to look at family profiles. Your adoption counselor will introduce you to family profiles when you finish constructing an adoption plan. If you need assistance, our professionals are here to help.
Only you and the mother know what is best for your child. If you choose to be involved in the process as a birth father, we believe that you will join the conversation when discussing this matter.
Planning for Your Child’s Future
It is possible that your child could have legal or medical issues in the future. One responsibility of the birth father is to complete paperwork regarding their family and/or medical history alongside the birth mother. This would help your child get the best care if something were to happen in the future. Additionally, it can help your child access important information when need be. If you need any consultation or have any questions, our adoption counselors can assist you.
Providing and Seeking Support
For you and the birth mother, there are challenging decisions to make and problems to face. In an ideal situation, both of you make an effort to collaborate on decisions that are best for your child. However, it may not always be possible. Even with teamwork, you may experience feelings of guilt, grief, and overwhelmingness during the process. With our private adoption in Colorado, we offer counseling services to both the birth mother and father. We provide a safe environment for you to communicate your fears and anxieties while on your journey.
Birth fathers are made out to be absent in the adoption process. In reality, there are many birth fathers who truly care about their child and only want to give them their best life. At our private adoption in Colorado, we encourage you to help your child by playing your role in the adoption process. But you and/or the birth mother should not go through it alone. If you are a birth father or birth parent wanting 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!