What should I Include in My Adoption Plan as a Birth Mother?
You’ve decided to place your baby for adoption. The application is filled out, and you’ve met with your assigned adoption caseworker. At your next meeting, your adoption caseworker says it’s time to officially begin your adoption journey by creating an adoption plan as a birth mother. You can’t help but stare blankly. Thoughts race in your mind. Where do I even begin? What should I include in my adoption plan? What’s most important?
At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we have a variety of resources available to you as a birth mother. This includes a detailed adoption plan that you can customize according to your needs. If you know what you’re looking for or what you want out of your adoption journey, be sure to let your adoption caseworker know this. If you don’t have a clue where to start or what to include, that is okay too. Your adoption caseworker is your resource and adoption guru for this. They will support you every step of the way!
Where do I even Begin with My Adoption Plan?
Research can go a long way towards helping you figure out the adoption process. Most people don’t think about adoption until they are in a situation where they need to think about it, so it’s perfectly acceptable to brush up on the latest adoption literature. You can find plenty of websites, articles, books, and other forms of media to help inform and guide you. Just make sure your resources are current so you aren’t confused. In other words, you likely want to know how the adoption process works today — not how it worked fifty years ago.
Where do I Find Support When Creating My Adoption Plan?
Adoption Choices of Colorado offers plenty of counseling and aims to help you through the adoption process with as little extra stress as possible. It’s also recommended that you find support in your own circle, whether it is a family member or someone else that you are close to. There is no reason you should experience placing your child for adoption alone.
How much Choice do I have When it Comes to who takes Care of My Child?
Your input is incredibly important when it comes to selecting a potential adoptive family. You have qualities you value and we work to find a fit for those. We condense information about adoptive families for you, so that you can easily process what will be best for you. Adoptive families also include a more personalized “Dear Birth Mother” letter in their profile books, so that you can really get a sense for what sort of households they run.
Every adoptive family goes through extensive background checks and home visits, so you can be sure that you are dealing with responsible individuals.
What if I want to See My Child?
There are three types of adoption: open, semi-open and closed. Each one has its own set of openness, depending on what you’re looking for and how involved you want to be in your child’s life. If you are hoping to watch your child grow, interact with him or her, and get to know your child’s adoptive parents, talk to your adoption caseworker about open and semi-open adoption. It is entirely your choice which route you take. Placing your child for adoption does not mean you have to be out of the loop.
How do I Plan for actually Giving Birth?
This is one of the most important parts of your adoption plan as a birth mother. You should first consider the hospital that will work best for you, based on a number of factors, including proximity to your home. Think about how you want to get to the hospital and who you want to come and support you. Pain management is another important aspect of giving birth and it’s a good idea to be prepared before you go into labor.
How do I Maximize My Comfort during Birth?
Comfort means different things for different people. You should pack a bag with necessities, like extra clothing, a toothbrush, and other similar items. However, it might also be beneficial to pack things that help pass the time or distract you. That might mean some form of entertainment, like a book or an electronic device. In this day and age, a cell phone will probably be very important if you want to be connected to your loved ones and the outside world. Be sure to make a list ahead of time and check it off as you begin to pack the items you want.
What Else can I do to Fill out My Adoption Plan as a Birth Mother?
Adoption Choices of Colorado is an excellent resource and adoption agency. Our website has frequently asked questions and gives you the ability to reach out to us directly. You can do this through phone or our contact forms online.
Adoption can be a difficult emotional process, but having a plan will surely ease your mind and help you face any challenges head-on. We are here to help you have the smoothest transition possible and are very excited to walk with 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.
Meet the Author: Nathan Dyer is a university student majoring in Communication Arts with a radio/TV/film focus. He enjoys writing professionally and dealing with hands-on problems in real-world scenarios. Among his hobbies is hiking, which always encourages him to explore new places. He looks forward to crafting written materials in the future that serve to help people from all walks of life.
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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!