The initial shock of an unplanned pregnancy can make it feel as if the whole world is falling apart, especially if the timing couldn’t be worse for your life. For whatever reason, parenting just isn’t possible right now. What can you do?
If you’re reading this, then you’re most likely considering adoption in St. Joseph, MO. We’re here to help.
This guide to “giving your baby up” for adoption in St. Joe is intended for any women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. You may be generally aware of adoption but unsure of how it works, who can help, and how to decide if it’s right for you. Our goal is to provide you with the information and resources required to determine if adoption in St. Joe is the best way to respond to your unplanned pregnancy.
For more personalized support, you can always contact a professional online today.
How to ‘Give Your Baby Up’ for Adoption in St. Joseph, MO
Public understanding of adoption is better than it used to be, but there’s still a long way to go. This phrase is a perfect example: “giving baby up” for adoption in St. Joseph.
You’ve probably heard and said “give baby up” for adoption. It’s one of the most popular ways to refer to adoption. Nobody means anything bad by it. But, it betrays a misunderstanding. When a woman chooses adoption, she is not giving up.
Adoption is a brave decision that comes from a place of committed love. It creates a better future for the child, the birth parent(s) and the adoptive parents. It changes a child’s life. That’s not giving up at all.
In this guide, you will see us use the phrase “giving your baby up” for adoption in St. Joseph. We want this information to be accessible and relatable to everyone. However, it’s always better to say “choose adoption,” “create an adoption plan,” or “place a baby for adoption.”
With that understanding in mind, here’s how adoption in St. Joe works.
Each individual will have a unique experience during the adoption process. So many details about your specific circumstances will come together to create a journey distinct from any others. However, every woman placing a baby for adoption in St. Joseph will have to follow these five big steps on her way to completing an adoption placement:
Step 1: Choose Adoption
If you’re reading this, then you are at least part of the way through the first step. Take time to research all of your unplanned pregnancy options and be sure that adoption in St. Joseph is the best course of action for your life.
Speaking to a professional can bring clarity to this decision. You can contact us today to be put in touch with an adoption specialist.
Step 2: Find an Agency and Create a Plan
Once you are sure that adoption is the way to go, then you’re ready for the next step. It’s important to not jump into this step too fast. Adoption in St. Joe takes total commitment. Take your time if you’re unsure.
After choosing adoption, you’ll create an adoption plan with the help of an adoption agency. Choosing the right agency (more on that below) goes a long way toward shaping your overall experience when “giving your baby up” for adoption in St. Joseph. The plan you create will outline your preferences for the process, including things like the type of adoptive family you would like for your baby and the level of openness you want after placement.
Step 3: Pick an Adoptive Family
Putting a baby up for adoption in St. Joseph doesn’t mean giving up any influence on your baby’s life. On the contrary, you will choose the adoptive parents who, in turn, will shape your child’s life as they grow.
Working with your specialist, you will look through adoptive family profiles until you find the parents that you think will be best for your child. Once you pick the parents, you may get to know them a bit through pre-placement contact, depending on the level of openness you want.
Step 4: Complete Placement
As a part of your adoption plan, you’ll create a hospital plan. This will kick into gear when it comes time for labor and delivery. At the hospital, you’ll sign your official consent for adoption. This must be done at least 48 hours after the child has been born, in accordance with Missouri adoption laws.
Your consent to the adoption relinquishes your parental rights and allows the adoptive parents to become the child’s legal family. It’s an important step for “giving your child up” for adoption in St. Joseph. Your agency and St. Joseph adoption attorney will be there to ensure that consent is given correctly and legally.
Step 5: Begin Open Adoption Communication and Life After Placement
Completing placement does not mean severing the connection you have to your child. Yes, things will change significantly. But thanks to open adoption, you can maintain an important, lasting relationship with the adoptive family. This connection gives many women considering adoption in St. Joe a sense of peace and confidence.
Adoption Agencies Near St. Joe
We’ve mentioned the role adoption agencies play several times while describing the process. So, you may be wondering how to find adoption agencies near St. Joseph and how to pick the one that is best for you.
There are several agencies anyone placing a baby for adoption in St. Joseph could consider working with. It can be helpful to read through agency websites and see what kind of information and support they offer. To begin your search for adoption agencies near St. Joseph, consider these professionals:
7500 W. 110th St., Suite 500
Overland Park, KS 66210
4350 W. 107th St.
Overland Park, KS 66207
16236 Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, KS 66085
4001 Blue Parkway, Suite 250
Kansas City, MO 64130
Financial Assistance During Adoption
Many women considering adoption are also concerned about their financial situation. The cost of raising a child is often a major deterrent to parenting. It’s common to wonder, “Do you get paid for ‘giving your baby up’ for adoption in St. Joe?”
No, you do not get paid for adoption. Payment in exchange for adoption placement is illegal in Missouri and every other state. If a person or professional suggests otherwise, that is a red flag.
What you’re most likely thinking of when you ask that question is known as adoption financial assistance, which could be available to you when putting a child up for adoption in St. Joseph. This financial assistance can help cover the cost of pregnancy- and adoption-related expenses, such as cost of living, transportation, medical care, legal fees and more. Additionally, it’s important to know the adoption in St. Joe is always free to you as a prospective birth mother. You will never pay agency or attorney fees during the process.
Questions about the Father of the Baby
Do you think the situation with the father of the baby could make your adoption in St. Joe more challenging? You’re not alone. Many women considering placing a baby for adoption in St. Joseph have questions about prospective birth father rights.
Missouri adoption law determines the rights of the prospective birth father, and the way the law is applied can differ on a case-by-case basis. The best way to understand how the father of the baby could affect your process is to speak with your adoption professional or a St. Joseph adoption attorney. If you do not have an attorney, your agency should be able to provide a referral.
Whether the father of the baby is unknown, unsupportive or absent, it doesn’t mean that you can’t choose adoption. Talk to a professional today about your situation to learn more.
Finding the Right Adoptive Parents
You may have seen depictions of adoption in movies and TV shows where the birth mother, scared and alone, places her child on the doorstep of an orphanage or fire station, never seeing them again. This is not actually how the modern adoption process works, as you’ve already found out. Far from relinquishing all say in what happens to your baby, you make the single biggest choice in shaping your child’s life.
Finding the best adoptive parents for your baby is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during the St. Joe adoption process. The best way to find the right family is to work with an agency that has a large number of adoptive family profiles — the more options to look at, the better chance of finding the perfect fit.
To get a sense of what these profiles are like, you can look through some online adoptive family profiles. If you see one that catches your attention, you can fill out a contact form to learn more about them.
Open Adoption in St. Joe
Once you’ve chosen an adoptive family, you may be able to get to know them pre-placement. This relationship can continue after placement is finalized through open adoption.
There are three different levels of openness — open, semi-open and closed. Working with your specialist, you can decide on a level that is right for you when “giving a baby up” for adoption in St. Joe.
Open adoption ensures a lasting connection with your child and the ability to watch as they grow up in the love and security of the family you chose for them.
Exploring Your Other Unplanned Pregnancy Options
Are you ready to take the next steps toward putting your baby up for adoption in St. Joseph? Fill out this contact form.
Still unsure about the best unplanned pregnancy option for you? Take your time making this choice. It may be best for you to explore your other options. Aside from adoption, you can also think about:
Parenting
It may seem impossible. You wouldn’t be here if this choice was easy. But if adoption doesn’t feel right, could it be a sense that parenting, while difficult, is the way to go? Consider reaching out to your local social services office to see what kind of resources are available to make parenting a more feasible option for you.
Abortion
If parenting is impossible and carrying a pregnancy to term for an adoption placement won’t work for you, then abortion may be the necessary unplanned pregnancy solution. However, you should know that accessing abortion services in Missouri isn’t always easy.
You’ll have to cross the state, to St. Louis, to find the only clinic in Missouri that provides abortion services. Before the procedure, Missouri mandates counseling and a 72-hour waiting period. If you are past the 24th week of your pregnancy, then an abortion is only legal in Missouri in life-threatening situations.
To learn more about abortion services, contact Planned Parenthood of Missouri today.
Your situation is unique, and only you can know what’s best for you. We support whichever option you choose.
If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, contact us to be connected with a helpful professional today.
