Adoption is a beautiful and generous choice. It offers benefits to all adoption triad members: birth mother, child, and adoptive parents.

Are you thinking about “giving up” your baby for adoption in Cranston? This guide will help you understand the adoption process and the resources that are available to support you.

Whether you have decided to pursue adoption or if you are still on the fence, contact an adoption professional who can help you move into the next stages of your unplanned pregnancy plan.

How to Give Your Baby Up for Adoption in Cranston [The Adoption Process]

Choosing adoption can create a better future for yourself and for your baby. But, you may not know how to place my baby for adoption in Cranston.

First, you will choose and contact an adoption professional with whom you want to partner. Then, they will guide you through the six basic steps of the adoption process:

Step 1: Decide that adoption is right for you.

The decision to “give up” your baby for adoption in Cranston is not one that should be glossed over. An unplanned pregnancy can be life-changing, and your choice between adoption, abortion, and parenting will determine a lot for your future.

To help you consider your options, an adoption professional will counsel you and encourage you to make the decision that is best for you. While you may prefer an alternative unplanned pregnancy option, you might also be intrigued by the many benefits of adoption.

Step 2: Develop an adoption plan.

You will start work with an adoption specialist as soon as you finalize your decision to place your child for adoption. Your adoption specialist will work for an adoption agency in Cranston that will facilitate your adoption process.

The first task that you will complete with them is to write an adoption plan. An adoption plan is a document that outlines each stage of the adoption experience, detailing your specific preferences and needs.

Some common components of an adoption plan are:

• A detailed description of the type of family you want for your child
• The kind of communication you desire with adoptive parents
• A hospital plan that describes your preferences when you deliver your baby
• Your preferred post-adoption agreement: open adoption, semi-open adoption, or closed adoption

Step 3: Choose the perfect family for your child.

For many women, selecting the adoptive family for their child is the heart of the whole Cranston adoption process. Certainly, it is a choice that will impact your child’s life more than almost anything else. And if you are choosing open adoption, it will affect your life, too.

You will have complete control over who adopts your baby. Your adoption specialist will compile some hopeful adoptive families that match the description of your ideal family in your adoption plan and give you access to family profiles to review.

From there, you will take the time you need with the profiles and select the perfect adoptive family for your baby. Your adoption specialist will arrange a mediated phone call with them where you can get a feel for them and ask any questions that you may have.

Step 4: Begin communication with your chosen adoptive family.

The period between choosing an adoptive family for your child and adoptive placement will be different for each birth mother. Some women will want close contact with their chosen adoptive family, and others will want more privacy and space. Whatever it is that works best for you is okay.

Common ways that birth mothers and adoptive families can communicate are:

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

Step 5: Give birth to your baby and sign adoption placement paperwork.

Before it comes time for you to give birth to your baby, you will create a hospital plan that will outline your preferences for labor, delivery, and post-adoption interactions. This document will communicate your needs during this time to your support system to make it the experience you want.

Following the delivery of your baby, you will sign the final adoption paperwork. When completing an adoption in Cranston, this adoption paperwork will be signed 15 days after birth. This means you will likely not be in the hospital when this occurs.

Step 6: Continue a relationship with your child and their adoptive family.

The transition period after “giving up” baby for adoption in Cranston can be challenging for some women, but having a post-adoption contact agreement (PACA) established can ease anxieties. With a PACA, you get to determine the frequency and mode of your communication with your child’s adoptive family.

While most modern adoptions are open or semi-open, it is OK to choose closed adoption if that is better for you. Your PACA will outline your preferred relationship and communication with your chosen adoptive family throughout your baby’s childhood.

Cranston Adoption Agencies

Before you begin this six-step adoption process, you will select the adoption professional who you would like to partner with. You’ll want to receive guidance from a licensed adoption agency in Rhode Island.

Some licensed adoption agencies in Cranston are:

• American Adoptions
• Adoption Rhode Island
• Alliance for Children
• Adoption Options

When you make this decision, it is important that you know there are two main types of agencies: national and local.

National agencies offer more resources to birth mothers and have a broader selection of adoptive families. When you work with them, you could have a choice between dozens – or even hundreds – of family profiles that match your needs.

With a local adoption agency in Cranston, you will likely be given a handful of family profiles to consider. Your chance of finding a local adoptive couple could be greater, but national agencies can also search for families in your region.

Whichever Cranston adoption agency you choose, you should look for the following services:

• Unplanned pregnancy help
• Guidance while writing your adoption plan
• Help while finding families who want to adopt
• Legal counsel
• Post-adoption support
• And more

Finding an Adoptive Family in Cranston

When you “give up” a baby for adoption in Cranston, you are in control. You get to make the choices about your Cranston adoption.

• You choose your preferred adoption professional.
• You choose what to include in your adoption plan.
• And you choose the family who will adopt your baby.

For many women, this last choice is the most significant. The family who adopts and raises your baby will influence many facets of their life, and this choice on behalf of your child will be an important one.

Here’s how it will work:

• Your adoption professional will compile a list of adoptive families that meet your needs
• You will be given access to family profiles that will help you acquaint yourself with them.
• You will review the profiles and ask your adoption specialist for more if needed
• And, finally, you will choose the perfect adoptive family for your child.

Getting Adoption Financial Assistance in Cranston

One consideration that you might make when you pursue adoption in Cranston is the financial benefit of this decision. Cranston adoption agencies receive some common questions about this topic, and they are answered below:

“Is adoption free?”

Yes. Adoption is free for any birth mother.

There are no costs involved, and there are even ways that you can receive financial assistance for adoption. In some cases, this can cover living expenses for birth mothers in Cranston.

“Can I get paid for “giving up” my baby for adoption in Cranston?”

This is a misconception. Birth mothers cannot get paid for “giving up” their baby for adoption in Cranston – or in any other city in America. But there are many appropriate and legal ways that a birth mother can receive financial assistance during her pregnancy.

“Is there available adoption financial assistance for birth mothers in Cranston?”

Yes, and you qualify. All birth mothers will receive:

• Free adoption agency services
• Coverage of pregnancy-related medical costs
• Free legal counsel and representation

Other living expenses that are sometimes paid for depending on your circumstances are:

• Housing costs and utilities
• Groceries,
• Phone and internet services
• Counseling,
• Transportation
• Childcare.

If you would like to know what you might be eligible for, reach out to a Cranston adoption professional.

What’s Next for Your Unplanned Pregnancy?

If you are still contemplating other unplanned pregnancy options, you may want to take some time learning more about abortion or parenting. An unplanned pregnancy counselor can also help you to sort out the pros and cons of each option and determine the right path for you.

If you have chosen adoption, your next steps are:

• Preview some waiting adoptive families to get an idea of who is waiting for a child.
• Decide between a national adoption agency or a Cranston adoption agency.
• Contact an adoption professional and begin developing your adoption plan!

No matter where you find yourself in this life-changing decision, you can always gain insight by reaching out to an adoption professional. They will give you the empathy and information that is necessary for you to move into the next stage of your adoption – or to choose whichever path is best for you.