How to Place a Baby for Adoption in Washington

Putting a newborn up for adoption in Washington is an option for any woman facing an unexpected pregnancy. But, before making a decision, a woman thinking about adoption will always want to understand the steps of the adoption process.

Every adoption journey is different but, in general, the steps of adoption are to: make an adoption decision, create an adoption plan, choose an adoptive family, prepare for placement, and adjust to life after adoption.

While adoption is no easy decision for a prospective birth mother to make, the rewards can be miraculous. For example, in an open adoption, a birth mother is blessed with a direct relationship with her child. She is always in charge of her adoption plan, and she always has the choice to make the decisions that are best for her and her child.

If you are considering giving up a baby for adoption in Washington, be sure to surround yourself with support and resources from friends and family, your adoption agency, and other organizations. In the meantime, learn more about this process below.

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

“Giving up” a baby for adoption in Washington takes strength and courage from every prospective birth mother. In fact, choosing adoption is anything but “giving up.” Giving up on something implies that you don’t care anymore, and women who choose adoption definitely care about what happens to their babies. Putting your baby up for adoption in Washington gives you a second chance — and gives your baby a second chance at a better life through different parents.

Adoption is a gift that birth mothers bless to their children. Admitting that parenting is not right for you takes great maturity and courage. To reflect this reality, the positive adoption community would encourage any prospective birth mother to use different phrasing than “giving up.” Instead of saying, “I’m giving my baby up for adoption in Washington,” use phrasing like, “I’m putting my baby up for adoption in Washington” or “I’m placing my baby for adoption in Washington” to better describe the unexpected beauty of your situation.

How to Give Baby Up for Adoption in Washington

How do I put my unborn baby up for adoption in Washington?”

This question can be answered by following the steps outlined below. Choosing adoption starts with deciding to place a baby for adoption in Washington, continues with working through an adoption plan, and ends with learning how to live life again after placement.

Step 1: Make the adoption decision.

The adoption decision-making process may not be an easy one, as it requires a high level of maturity and self-honesty. There are many factors that you will want to consider when it comes to whether you should place a baby for adoption in Washington. Some of these factors include:

  • Your ability to provide financially for yourself and your child in the present and in the future
  • Your personal relationships and amount of healthy emotional support in your life
  • Your home environment and the resources available to help raise a child

There are other factors that will come into play depending on every individual potential adoption situation. Whatever choice is made, it belongs to you and no one else.

If you are considering giving up a baby for adoption in Washington and need someone to talk to, there is pregnancy counseling available through pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, churches, and other organizations.

Step 2: Create an adoption plan.

Placing a baby for adoption in Washington officially begins with an adoption plan. After deciding which adoption agency you want to work with, an adoption professional from that agency will help you create your very own adoption plan. This plan includes all the preferences for your adoption, such as:

  • The desired demographics and characteristics of the prospective adoptive parents who will adopt your baby,
  • The type of post-placement relationship you will have with your child, whether it’s an open, semi-open, or closed adoption, and
  • The hospital plan, if you are pregnant during your adoption decision.

Your adoption plan is very personal and ensures that your adoption professional will be able to honor your adoption wishes. If at any point during the process, you change your mind about anything, let your adoption professional know. The entire adoption process is controlled by you up until you give your adoption consent, so you can change your mind about any decisions until then.

Step 3: Choose an adoptive family.

Choosing adoptive parents for your baby can bring hope to your adoption process. After you create your adoption plan, your adoption professional will use your preferences to determine which prospective adoptive families might be the perfect match for you and your baby. After collecting these families’ profiles, the adoption professional will present them to you for review. It is then that you will decide which prospective adoptive family you want to meet and get to know in order to determine if they might be a perfect match for you and your baby.

Remember, you can change your mind about who adopts your baby at any point up until giving your adoption consent.

Step 4: Prepare for placement.

When it comes to how to place a baby for adoption in Washington, preparing for placement is an important step in the process. It is at this step that you will create your hospital plan. The hospital plan will include who is present during labor and delivery, when you will place the baby with his or her adoptive parents, and how you will get home from the hospital.

During your hospital stay or shortly after, you will work with your assigned adoption attorney to sign legal paperwork to place your baby with the chosen adoptive parents. Keep in mind that Washington adoption laws require a 48-hour waiting period after birth before placement may take place.

Step 5: Adjust to life after adoption.

Giving up” a baby for adoption in Washington may be the end to one chapter, but it can be the beginning of a whole new story for a birth mother. After you place a baby for adoption in Washington, there will be a period of grief that you may expect. However, healing is more than a possibility for those who seek out resources. Depending on your post-placement relationship, you may or may not have contact with the child you placed for adoption — a factor that can play a role in this healing process.

Either way, healing can be a lifelong journey full of joy and miracles if you only look for them. Remember that you are never alone in your healing journey!

If you are thinking, “I want to give my baby up for adoption in Washington” but don’t know where to begin, please fill out this contact form. An adoption professional will reach out to you and answer your questions, as well as help you start your own adoption journey when you are ready. The process of adoption starts with a decision, and yours can end with a whole new life for you and your baby.

Remember: This is YOUR decision, so make sure you trust your motherly instincts. If adoption is the right decision for you, it should bring with it an invaluable sense of peace.

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