How to Place a Baby for Adoption in Tennessee

Putting a baby up for adoption in Tennessee requires a very real sacrifice on behalf of a birth mother, as she gifts her child a better life through different parents. Because there are many questions you may have when it comes to giving up a baby for adoption in Tennessee, we have simplified the process of adoption by breaking it down into a few simple steps.

The following steps for giving a baby up for adoption in Tennessee include important state-specific information. For example, a prospective birth mother must wait to relinquish her baby until he or she is at least three full days old in this state.

Regardless of your situation, the steps to putting a baby up for adoption in Tennessee always begin with a decision — and end with a whole new chance at life.

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

Saying that you are giving your baby up for adoption in Tennessee may initially imply that you are “giving up” on your baby. However, this is not the case. Adoption is a choice that can be made by any expectant mother — or for that matter, any mother at all. This adoption choice is made out of a sacrificial and unconditional love, not out of a sense of abandonment of a child.

Because the truth is that adoption is anything but giving up on your baby, there is more appropriate language we encourage you use. The positive adoption community instead prefers phrasing like “putting your baby up for adoption in Tennessee” or “placing my baby for adoption in Tennessee” to illustrate the real beauty of this process.

How to Give Baby Up for Adoption in Tennessee

If you are an expectant mother wondering, “I want to know how to give my unborn baby up for adoption if I live in Tennessee,” then you have come to the right place. Here, the steps for adoption are outlined with information regarding state-specific requirements and restrictions.

In Tennessee, putting a newborn up for adoption starts with a life-changing decision, continues with steps to a legal voluntary adoption, and ends with a brand-new lease on life for you and your child.

Step 1: Make the adoption decision.

There are so many things that an expectant mother will and should consider when it comes to the choice to place a baby for adoption in Tennessee. Some of the factors that play into an adoption decision include:

  • A mother’s ability to financially provide for her child.
  • Who will be in the child’s life — supportive and non-supportive personal relationships.
  • Resources a mother may have to take care of her child and her needs, including financial, spiritual, and mental ones.
  • A woman’s level of maturity and stability when it comes to the daily demands of parenting.

You may wish to note these considerations in a pros and cons list. Making this decision requires an honest and accurate reflection on one’s life, which, for many, is no easy feat. Therefore, any woman who ponders these questions can be considered brave just for the level of self-awareness such a task takes.

After a woman has decided to move forward with an adoption decision, it is time for her to find an adoption agency in order to move on with the steps that follow.

Step 2: Create an adoption plan.

The next step of putting a baby up for adoption in Tennessee involves an adoption professional assisting a prospective birth mother with her adoption plan. An adoption plan includes all the preferences a woman has when it comes to her very own adoption process. These include what type of characteristics she desires in a prospective adoptive family, what type of post-placement relationship she will have with her birth child, and, if she is pregnant, her hospital plan.

It is important to note that prospective birth mothers remain in control of the entire adoption process. Therefore, at any point until giving her adoption consent, a prospective birth mother can change her mind regarding any of her previous decisions.

It is the role and responsibility of an adoption professional to assist a prospective birth mother in creating her adoption plan. This person will be a support and guide through the rest of the steps of the adoption process, too.

Step 3: Choose an adoptive family.

Can I give my baby up for adoption in Tennessee and choose the family I want for them?”

Yes! This is one of the most hopeful steps in the adoption process, as a prospective birth mother begins to envision a new future for herself and her baby.

An adoption professional will use an expectant mother’s preferences to hand-select a few potential waiting families. The adoption professional will offer hard copies of adoptive family profiles to the prospective birth mother to help her choose which family she would like meet with.

Throughout the rest of the adoption process, a prospective birth mother will get to know her potentially perfect adoptive family and create a long-lasting relationship.

Step 4: Prepare for placement.

Preparing to place a baby up for adoption in Tennessee means following state guidelines on consent laws and how adoption must be executed. This is a process that takes some time and action by a prospective birth mother’s assigned adoption attorney. During this step, a prospective birth mother will continue to get to know her chosen prospective adoptive family, sign legal documents regarding her voluntary adoption decision, and potentially create her hospital plan.

A hospital plan consists of all the labor and delivery preferences a woman may have. This may include which is the preferred hospital or birth center, who will be present during labor and delivery, when and whom the baby will go home with, and when and whom the mother will go home with. If a woman placing a baby for adoption in Tennessee is pregnant, she must wait at least three full days after her baby is born before she can legally choose adoption.

Step 5: Adjust to life after adoption.

Choosing to place a baby for adoption in Tennessee is no easy decision to make. There will be a process of healing that will need to take place after the adoption process has been finalized. This period can continue for a lifetime. However, there is much joy to be found when a child is placed with a family who loves them.

A birth mother can find peace and solace in her decision by walking a path of healing — while being reassured that her baby is where she wanted him or her to be. Be encouraged as you walk this path and know that you can make your life after adoption a second chance to do anything you want to with!

Giving up a baby for adoption in Tennessee is anything but giving up on your baby. The steps of adoption can be a reality for anyone wondering how to place a baby for adoption in Tennessee.

If you are considering putting your baby up for adoption in Tennessee, please fill out this contact form. An adoption professional will reach out to you, answer any adoption-related questions, and can even start you on your own journey as a birth mother!

Life after adoption will be what you make it. Yes, choosing adoption will very likely cause you emotional pain, but that is only temporary as you walk through your healing journey. You can change your life into anything you want if you put your mind and actions toward it. Therefore, be encouraged that life after adoption can be an amazing and beautiful journey!

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