While the decision to adopt is an incredibly positive and fulfilling experience for prospective parents, it often comes with certain anxieties and negative expectations about the uncertainties of the experience. While these feelings are all understandable, it is Important to recognize that there are valuable resources with Adoption Choices of Kansas & Missouri to help make the process more manageable both physically and emotionally. The best way to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible is to create an adoption plan.
By creating a step-by-step adoption plan, it will help prospective parents feel less anxious about the process. Once you decide to adopt, contact an adoption professional like Adoption Choices of Kansas & Missouri, who will help you create the best plan for your family based on your goals and values. Below are some key factors to consider when creating an adoption plan.
- Reach out to a professional – While this seems like a logical first step, it is not only important to reach out to a professional, but also, to find a professional that will best help you meet your goals for the adoption. Sometimes that means you will have to talk to a few before finding a professional you feel comfortable with. Make sure that your professional is licensed, available, and can make you a priority throughout the entire process. Adoption Choices of Kansas & Missouri
- Match with a birth mother/birth parents – Your adoption professional with Adoption Choices of Kansas & Missouri will help you connect with birth parents who share your goals and values. Birth mothers want to ensure the best situation for their child, so they will also be looking for a family that identifies with their desires for their child. This ensures that both birth parents and adoptive parents will be able to feel more comfortable with each other during this difficult time.
- Discuss Adoption Type – Once a match occurs, adoptive and birth parents can set parameters for the adoption. They can discuss if they want an open adoption (a birth mother can have contact with her child) or closed adoption (a birth mother has no contact with her child). Once a decision is reached, birth and adoptive parents can agree on the specifics, how much contact a birth parent can have, in what ways can they contact their child, how involved will they be in the child’s life etc…By laying out this framework, birth and adoptive parents can work together to ensure the best situation for all parties involved. It also establishes trust and can help everyone cope with the emotional aspects of the decision.
- Create a Birth Plan – The birth will be an incredibly vulnerable time for the birth mother. She has the right to determine the best birth plan for her. In some situations the birth mother will allow adoptive parents to be present either in the room or at the hospital. In other instances, she will not. It is important to determine what is best for everyone involved.
- Post-Adoption Goals – The adoption does not end after the birth. In order to help both birth and adoptive parents cope with the emotions after the adoption is finalized, it is important to stick to your goals and seek any additional resources that you may need.
The adoption process can seem incredibly daunting. However, if you set up a thorough and effective adoption plan, the situation becomes much more manageable and less stressful. It is important to be upfront about your feelings and goals so that you can ensure the best outcome for your family. Creating an adoption plan is the best way to help you feel more comfortable about this experience. Choosing Adoption Choices of Kansas & Missouri is your first step!
