Facing an unplanned pregnancy is frightening, and deciding how to handle it is most likely one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever have to make. No matter where you're at in your pregnancy, you can choose adoption in Alabama. 

If you have questions about how to begin your adoption journey, you can reach out to an adoption specialist today.

Before choosing adoption in Alabama, you should take is to educate yourself about your three unplanned pregnancy options:

• Adoption
• Abortion
• Parenting

Nobody can tell you which option is right for you. This decision needs to be solely your own, and it’s up to you to educate yourself about the options available to you. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you do so.

To understand more about the AL adoption process, here is a basic overview of the process of placing a baby for adoption in Alabama:

Step 1: Decide if Adoption is the Right Path for You

When people refer to placing a baby for adoption as “putting a baby up for adoption” or “giving a baby up for adoption” in Alabama, this language makes adoption seem like a negative choice for an unplanned pregnancy. It suggests a mother is abandoning her child. This is not the case.

The decision of placing a baby for adoption is not a choice that is made lightly. It takes a great deal of love for your baby and thought about what is in their best interest. Because you want to give your baby the best life they can have, with loving parents who are able to raise them, adoption will always be a selfless decision.

Many pregnant women considering adoption in Alabama have asked questions like:

• “Is adoption free?”
• “Does the baby's father need to be involved in the adoption?”
• “If I want, can I stay in touch with my child and their adoptive family?”

To receive answers to these questions and more, you can call American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION for free information with no obligation to choose adoption.

Step 2: Make Your Adoption Plan

The most important thing to understand is that you are in complete control of your adoption plan when you’re putting your baby up for adoption in Alabama. You are in charge of every phase of your adoption, including:

• Deciding how much contact you wish to have with the family before and after the adoption is finalized
• Choosing the adoptive family you envision your child growing up with
• Determining the details of your hospital and delivery plan

Every decision throughout the adoption process is made by you. You will always have the right to change your mind about your adoption decision until you sign your legal adoption consent.

As one of the leading adoption agencies in the United States, American Adoptions is here to educate you about your options and help make your adoption preferences a reality in Alabama.

Step 3: Choose the Adoptive Family

Many pregnant women considering adoption in Alabama worry that choosing an adoptive family will be challenging, but most find it to be a reassuring stage of the adoption process. Many women say that when they see the “right” family’s adoption profile, they feel more at ease with their adoption decision. 

You are always the one to decide which family is best for your baby. To put your mind at ease, every adoptive family with American Adoptions is:

• Fully committed to adoption and is excited and ready to raise a child
• Excited to get to know you and have a relationship with you through phone calls, email and more, both before and after the adoption is finalized, with post-adoption contact determined by your own comfort level
• Home-study approved by the state of Alabama and has completed background checks and clearances in Alabama and on a federal level

But, how do you know which family is perfect for you? Here’s how you find the right adoptive parents when you’re putting your baby up for adoption in Alabama:

• You and your American Adoptions specialist will talk about the kind of family you picture your baby growing up with, including location, pets, siblings, religion, education and more.
• Your adoption specialist will share with you the profiles of potential adoptive parents who match what you envision for your child. Should you choose to do so, they will arrange a conference call with the families you like.
• You’ll be able to ask the potential parents questions, talk about the shared dreams you have for your baby, and discuss how you’d like your adoption to proceed.
• After you’ve chosen your baby’s family, you can continue communicating with them until the baby is born. If you place your baby for adoption, you’re able to remain in contact with them after the adoption is finalized and throughout your baby’s life, to whatever extent you are comfortable with.

Many women who have placed their children for adoption feel as if they’ve gained an extended family! It can be a unique lifelong bond built through love.

Step 4: Make Your Birth Plan

Creating a specific plan for your stay in the hospital for the birth of your baby can help you feel more prepared and relaxed. When you’re considering adoption in Alabama, you will work with your adoption specialist to create a birth plan tailored to you. You’ll decide:

• Who you want to be with you in the hospital room and/or delivery room for support
• How much you’d like the adoptive family to be involved in the birth of the baby
• Who will hold your baby first and when this will occur
• How much time you’d like to spend with your baby
• If you want to give your baby a little gift, such as a letter, photo, or other mementos to mark the special day

Alabama adoption laws allow you to give your consent to the adoption at any time. All consent must be given in writing. Once signed, it may be withdrawn within five days after the birth or five days of signing, whichever comes last. When you give consent to adoption, it means you are voluntarily terminating your legal parental rights, which places your child in the care of their adoptive parents. Don’t worry; an adoption attorney will explain your rights and the process of your consent before you decide to take this important step.

Step 5: Post-Adoption Life

After the adoption is complete, you are officially a “birth parent.” While this time can be hard as you grieve your loss, remember that birth parents can play a special role in their child’s life.

Post-adoption contact after giving up a baby for adoption in Alabama can be whatever you want it to be. This can include phone calls, texts, letters, emails, video calls, visits, and more. Open adoption is completely what you make it! Your specialist will explain your options and help you create a tailored post-placement contact agreement, per your wishes.

Giving your baby up for adoption in Alabama doesn’t mean saying “goodbye” forever. You can learn more about the Alabama adoption process and the ways in which you can create an adoption plan that’s right for you by calling 1-800-ADOPTION or contacting us online for obligation-free information.

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