How to Place a Baby for Adoption in California

Putting a newborn up for adoption in California is a brave and selfless choice for any expectant mother. Any woman has the option of choosing adoption, whether she is pregnant or has already had the baby.

The steps of choosing adoption generally include making the adoption decision, creating an adoption plan, choosing an adoptive family, preparing for placement, and adjusting to life after adoption. But a woman does not have to go through this California adoption process alone; an adoption professional is a trained professional who can walk any woman through an adoption process and help her with the steps along the way. Many adoption agencies offer additional resources, like support groups, counseling and financial assistance, as well. Putting your baby up for adoption in California is an option for any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy or any woman with a baby who has already been born. If this is an option you are considering, learn more about how this process works below.

You Are Not “Giving Up” by Giving Baby Up for Adoption in California

“Giving baby up for adoption in California” is worded to sound as if a woman is giving up on her baby. This phrasing — “I want to give my baby up for adoption in California” — and the terms “giving up” are not fondly used in the positive adoption world. A woman giving up a baby for adoption in California is doing anything but giving up on that baby.

In fact, choosing adoption, when it’s the right decision, means giving a gift to your baby. The selfless gift of giving your baby a better life through different parents is not giving up on your baby. The more preferred phrasing would be: “Putting a newborn up for adoption in California” or “Place my baby for adoption in California.” This sentiment of giving your baby a gift is something you can cherish for your entire life. As you watch your baby grow up in a happy and healthy environment, you can be encouraged that you have given him or her that gift. You are never giving up on them by choosing adoption.

How to Give Baby Up for Adoption in California

The general adoption process is important to understand for any woman putting a baby up for adoption in California. This process is guided by the state laws regarding putting your baby up for adoption in California. For example, in California, a woman must wait 48 hours after giving birth before she is legally allowed to consent to an adoption. An adoption professional can help you learn more about the adoption laws in your state.

In general, the first step of adoption is actually making the decision for adoption. Next, a woman will create an adoption plan with her adoption professional that she chooses. Her adoption plan will then help her choose an adoptive family and prepare for placement. Finally, after adoption comes adjusting to a new life full of new hopes and dreams.

1. Make the adoption decision.

Placing a baby for adoption in California is not something a woman easily comes to a decision about. There are many considerations that must be made before making the choice for adoption. A woman facing an unplanned pregnancy will have to be honest with herself regarding her own unique personal circumstances. She will need to think about her finances, her mental and spiritual health, her relationships and the support she has around her. There are many different types of women who choose adoption, ranging from single and young mothers to mothers who are married with other children. Putting a baby up for adoption in California is a decision that any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy can make.

2. Create an adoption plan.

Every woman who makes an adoption decision will work with an adoption professional to create an adoption plan. Each adoption plan is different, as every prospective birth mother situation is different. The adoption plan will include desires for who the adoptive parents will be, how the prospective birth mother wants the adoption process to work, and a hospital plan if she is pregnant. A prospective birth mother will choose what characteristics she desires in prospective adoptive parents, where they will live, what their values are, their parenting style, etc. This is an empowering part of the adoption process, as a prospective birth mother is encouraged to envision a future for her baby.

3. Choose an adoptive family.

Putting baby up for adoption in California includes the exciting step of a prospective birth mother choosing prospective adoptive parents for her child. After completing the adoption plan, an adoption professional will offer potential adoptive family profiles to the woman considering adoption. These profiles may be viewed on many agencies’ websites, and a hard copy will be provided as well. Once a woman chooses which profile she feels good about, she will have the opportunity to get to know the prospective adoptive couple. This is a very hopeful time, as a vision begins to turn into a reality. A prospective birth mother can begin to feel hopeful that she is doing the right thing for her baby. Of course, at any point up to finalization, a prospective birth mother can change her mind about which prospective adoptive family she chooses or the adoption decision entirely.

4. Prepare for placement.

A prospective birth mother can get to know the prospective adoptive family while she is preparing for placement. This step in placing baby for adoption in California will include a hospital plan if the prospective birth mother is pregnant. The hospital plan will also be created with an adoption professional and will include which hospital or birth center a woman will deliver in, how she will get home from the hospital, who will be present during the birth, and any other preferences a prospective birth mother may have. During the hospital stay is also the time that any legal paperwork will be handled. An adoption professional will be able to connect a prospective birth mother to an adoption attorney, who will handle her specific adoption situation.

5. Adjust to life after adoption.

Giving up a baby for adoption in California is a decision that not only gives baby a second chance at life, it also allows a prospective birth mother to recreate hers. While there will be struggles throughout the healing journey, there is also so much peace and joy to be had for birth mothers. Birth mothers in open adoptions are awed by watching their baby grow up in a life they may not have been able to provide. Adoptive parents share in a love for their child with a woman who chooses to love them. There is a bond between the adoptive parents, adopted child, and birth mother that is hard to explain. A sense of unity, family, and independence can be the bright outlook on life for any mother who chooses to give baby up for adoption in California.

If you are a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and thinking, “I want to give my baby up for adoption in California”, then please fill out this contact form. An adoption professional will reach out to you and discuss the steps of adoption with you. They can answer any questions you have and help you begin your adoption journey. Open adoption can be an amazing experience for any woman placing a baby for adoption in California. Be encouraged that adoption is an option for any woman considering it.

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