Advantages of Open Adoption in Kansas
Ask anyone who chose open adoption, and they’ll give you different reasons why they chose it. No one’s situation is exactly the same, and thankfully, adoption in the modern age allows for adoption choices as unique as you are. Just as adoption isn’t for everyone, open adoption isn’t for everyone. But it does come with benefits across the board.
If you’re considering open adoption but aren’t sure where to start, Adoption Choices of Kansas can help. We’re a full-service adoption agency that puts you and your baby first. While we are an adoption agency, we never pressure you into anything. Our only goal is to provide you with the resources you need to help you make informed decisions.
What is Open Adoption?
Open adoption is the most popular adoption type. When you choose an open adoption, you and the adoptive family will have information and communication readily available. While every open adoption is different, many adoptive families form a unique and special relationship with the birth mother and remain close.
So what are some advantages of open adoption? Open adoption is wonderful in that it has so many advantages for the birth mother, as well as the adoptive parents and adoptee. You’ll undoubtedly find many more, but these are just a few benefits of open adoption.
Open Adoption Benefits for the Birth Mother
- Regained Sense of Control
An unplanned pregnancy can feel like you’ve lost control over your own life. Having to sign your parental rights over to someone else can add to those feelings. One of the greatest advantages of open adoption is the opportunity to take back the wheel. There are so many decisions and choices that are yours to make. Your adoption plan, hand-picking an adoptive family, and your birth plan are just a few ways that you can regain control.
- Reduced Fear and Uncertainty
Coming to terms with the fact that your baby will be placed in the hands of, essentially, strangers can be tricky. Having access to updates, phone calls, and meetings can help ease fears and make coping easier with any uncertainty. You get to remain a part of your baby’s life and have the assurance they are growing up in a safe and loving home.
- Easier to Heal and Move on
Knowing that you’ve placed your baby in the hands of an adoptive family who you have hand-picked and approved can soothe many post placement anxieties. Being able to check in frequently and have an open communication line also makes it easier to heal and move forward. After all, grieving is one of the hardest parts of post placement for the birth mother. Open adoption doesn’t mean there won’t be a mourning process, but it does help close that chapter so you can start a new page.
Open Adoption Benefits for the Adoptive Family
- More Medically Informed
In most adoption situations, adoptive families may be given limited medical information about the birth mother. In an open adoption, they can ask the birth mother for more and more in-depth medical and mental health information. Knowing the child’s health and medical history can help prevent and prepare the adoptive family for anything that might come up.
- Validation
When you choose open adoption, the adoptive family gets the validation that you specifically chose them. You entrust them with your baby to raise and keep safe. Knowing that you picked them out can be extremely validating to the adoptive family.
Open Adoption Benefits for the Child
- Ability to Ask Questions
The ability to ask questions about their background, heritage, etc., is just one of the unique and essential benefits of open adoption. When the child can ask questions, it’s easier for them to self-identify and have greater confidence in knowing who he or she is as a person.
- Prevents Feelings of Abandonment
Having the ability to sit down with the child and explain why they were put up for adoption can help prevent abandonment feelings. Often, adoptees struggle with feeling unwanted by their birth mother. Open adoption allows you to communicate honestly and openly with them about your decisions.
Open Adoption Benefits for the Adoption Triad
- Opportunity for Unique Relationships
Birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adoptees have an opportunity in an open adoption to form unique relationships. Many adoptive families become very close with the birth mother and even spend holidays together. Adoptees also report that their relationship with their birth mother in an open adoption is one of the best and most unique benefits.
- Support System
Going through the adoption journey is a unique experience that not everyone can relate to. Having someone else who is part of the adoption community to lean on for support is a great advantage of open adoption.
What are Some Benefits of Open Adoption that Stood Out to You?
Choosing adoption is a selfless act, and finding ways for it to be beneficial for you is okay! Open adoption comes with benefits for everyone, and it’s easy to see why it’s the preferred type of adoption. Everyone will discover their own individual advantages of open adoption throughout their adoption journey and beyond.
If you are a pregnant woman considering open adoption, know that Adoption Choices of Kansas is here to help you. Were there any specific benefits of open adoption that caught your attention? Are there others that you know of that weren’t included? Let us know! Adoption Choices of Kansas serves birth parents statewide and beyond, please call us or text us to learn more!
Call Us 877-903-4488 or Text Us 316-209-2071
Meet the Author: Michelle Brugioni is a practiced, well-versed college-educated writer and avid coffee drinker. She has ten years’ experience as a freelance writer, and has written for an alarmingly wide range of clients and publications. She has written on topics like: life science, biopharmaceutical company acquisitions, dealing with anxiety, and creative drinking games.
As a fearless writer and masterful researcher, each time Michelle is approached with the question, “Can you write this?” she responds confidently with, “When do you need it?”
