When you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, it can sometimes be difficult to know what steps you should take and where you can turn for help. If you are considering “giving up” your baby for adoption in Great Falls, Montana – reach out to an adoption professional. They can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each unplanned pregnancy option and help you decide which is best for you.

This guide was created to educate you about the adoption process and to make you aware of the support accessible to you. A few things to know about adoption in Great Falls are:

• Your adoption specialist will help you navigate each step in the process.
• You get to choose who adopts your baby.
• There is adoption financial assistance available for you during this time.

Your Baby Up for Adoption in Great Falls [The Adoption Process]

Unless you have had experience with the adoption process before, you probably have questions about how to place your baby for adoption in Great Falls. You may not be aware of the choice and control you are given as a birth mother, but this overview of the process should help you to gain insight into the many benefits of adoption.

When you contact an adoption professional, they will guide you through these 6 basic steps to complete your adoption in Great Falls:

1. Decide that adoption is the right unplanned pregnancy option for you.

It is a daunting experience to face an unplanned pregnancy. Doubt and fear can threaten to take over, but you will have the support of an unplanned pregnancy counselor 24 hours a day to help you determine the best path forward.

Some additional resources that you can look into as you make the decision about whether to “give up” your baby for adoption in Great Falls are:

• Unplanned pregnancy information
• Birth mother support groups
• Talk to a woman who has been in your shoes and chose adoption

• Develop an adoption plan.

When you make your choice to pursue adoption, you will choose an adoption agency in Great Falls and begin working with an adoption specialist to create your adoption plan. An adoption plan provides the details about what you need at each stage of the adoption process. This document will follow you all the way through the adoption and will be consulted by your adoption specialist – and other members of your support team – to make sure that you have the experience you envision.

Adoption plans commonly include:

• A description of your ideal adoptive family for your child
• Your preferences for how and when you will communicate with adoptive parents
• A hospital plan that describes your delivery and post-birth preferences
• Your choice of post-adoption relationship with adoptive parents:
• open
• semi-open
• or closed

• Choose the perfect family for your child.

You will get to choose the family for your child. For many women, this is the most important decision that they get to make in this process. Certainly, it is one of the most impactful choices in the life of your child. When you choose a Great Falls adoption, you and you alone will get to select the perfect family for your child.

Here’s how it will work.

• You will create a description of the family that will give your baby the life you envision for them.
• Your adoption specialist will compile family profiles of couples who match your needs.
• You will take your time reviewing the profiles and let your adoption specialist know when a family sticks out to you.
• Your adoption specialist will mediate a conversation between you and the hopeful adoptive family.
• You will either choose this family or continue browsing profiles.

• Begin communication with your chosen adoptive family.

The period between choosing your child’s family and giving birth can look however you need it to look. You will get to decide how much and how often you want to interact with your chosen adoptive family, and likely it will coincide with your preference about your post-adoptive relationship.

If you want to complete an open adoption in Great Falls, you will probably want to continue communication throughout your pregnancy and continue to foster the relationship you have started.

Typical ways that birth mothers and adoptive families interact during this time are:

• Pictures and letters
• Emails and text messages
• Phone calls and video calls
• In-person visits

• Give birth to your baby and sign adoption placement paperwork.

Toward the end of your pregnancy, you may want to revisit the hospital plan that you began at the beginning of your adoption process. You might have a better idea now what you want – especially when it comes to the interactions with your baby’s adoptive family. Now that you know them and have a relationship with them, you might feel differently about some of the following:

• Whether you want adoptive parents in the delivery room
• If you want to take a picture with the adoptive parents
• Whether you want to leave the hospital before or after the adoptive parents
• If you want to nurse your baby

Once it is finalized, your hospital plan will provide direction to your support system so that they can accommodate you properly. Remember that you are in control of your adoption process and can change your mind about aspects of this day even after you enter the hospital.

While you will have signed a lot of paperwork by this point in the adoption, you will be asked to give the final signatures for your Great Falls adoption no sooner than 72 hours after birth. Your signature on this paperwork indicates your consent to the transfer of parental rights to your baby’s adoptive parents.

• Continue a relationship with your child and their adoptive family.

After the placement of your child in their adoptive family’s home, you will begin your post-adoptive relationship outlined in your post-adoption contact agreement (PACA). This will describe the kind of relationship that you and your baby’s adoptive parents have committed to upholding throughout their childhood.

The adjustment period after “giving up” your baby for adoption in Great Falls can be challenging for some women who experience feelings of grief and loss. Having a PACA in place can ease some of the anxiety and uncertainty that can add to the stress of this time. Remember that your adoption specialist will still be there to support you and that you have access to post-adoption support groups that can help too.

Great Falls Adoption Agencies

The first choice you will make when you are ready to begin this adoption process is to contact a private domestic adoption agency in Great Falls.  While you will find slightly different services at each agency, the adoption process is similar anywhere you go. At any of the adoption agencies in Great Falls, you should be respected, listened to, and placed at the center of your adoption journey.

The best adoption agencies provide:

• Unplanned pregnancy counseling
• Assistance while completing an adoption plan
• Adoption screening and matching services
• Legal counsel
• Post-adoption counseling
• Financial assistance

You will find two kinds of private domestic adoption agencies in Great Falls: national and local. The choice between a national agency that serves birth mothers and families across the country and an agency that is in your region does have some major implications that you should consider.

When you choose a national adoption agency, you are choosing larger networks. You will be given more profiles of hopeful adoptive families and more choices when it comes to the adoption lawyers available to you. With more options, you’ll be able to be more discerning, especially when it comes to finding the perfect adoptive family for your baby.

Some national agencies that serve the Great Falls area are:

• American Adoptions
• Gladney Center for Adoption

The potential benefits of working with a local adoption agency in Great Falls are that they may be more likely to work with you in person and might be more likely to find a local family who is hoping to adopt. If these are important to you, you will want to consider the adoption agencies located in the Great Falls region.

Some local agencies that serve Great Falls are:

• A Beautiful Choice, Inc.
• Catholic Social Services of Montana

Finding an Adoptive Family in Great Falls

What you envision for your child’s life is central to the Great Falls adoption process. Your preferences and needs when it comes to an adoptive family for your child should be considered all the way through your adoption journey. Your adoption specialist at a Great Falls adoption agency will facilitate your search for the perfect family for your baby, and you will choose the family who will adopt your baby.

Of course, this decision is important because it will have a significant impact on your child. Their home life, their opportunities, and their future will all be affected by this decision. Additionally, if you are entering an open adoption in Great Falls, this choice will impact you too. It is important that you understand that this decision is yours to make. 

Getting Adoption Financial Assistance in Great Falls

When women contact adoption agencies, they often have questions about the financial aspect of “giving up” a baby for adoption in Great Falls. Often, they are not aware of the financial benefits of adoption for the birth mother.

First, of the unplanned pregnancy options, adoption is the least expensive. Here is the breakdown:

• Abortion can cost between $0-1500
• Parenting can cost about $13,000 a year,
• Adoption is absolutely free

Secondly, birth mothers are supported with financial assistance. All women receive:

• Services provided by adoption agencies in Great Falls do not cost a thing.
• Pregnancy-related medical costs are covered.
• Legal representation and counsel will be provided to you for free.

And finally, many women are eligible to receive adoption financial assistance in the following categories:

• Rent and utilities
• Groceries
• Phone services
• Counseling
• Transportation
• Childcare

To get an idea of the kind of adoption financial assistance you may qualify for, reach out to a Great Falls adoption professional.

What’s Next for Your Unplanned Pregnancy?

There are adoption professionals eager to guide you through the next phase of your adoption journey.  Contact a professional at any time to start your adoption process.

Other ways you can prepare for your Great Falls adoption are:

• Develop an adoption support system.
• Review some waiting adoptive family profiles now!
• Continue learning about the Great Falls adoption process.

If you are unsure if “giving up” your baby for adoption in Great Falls is the right decision, you might benefit from learning more about all three unplanned pregnancy choices. An unplanned pregnancy counselor will give you the kind of empathy and support you need right now.

Wherever you find yourself with this decision, it is always a good idea to reach out to an adoption professional. With them, you will always be prioritized, listened to, and placed in control of your choice.