If you’ve found this article because you’re considering giving a baby up for adoption in North Carolina, chances are that you are currently under quite a bit of stress. An unexpected pregnancy is a life-altering event, and if you aren’t sure what to do, there’s a lot of pressure to make the right decision, both for yourself and your child. At this point, you should know two things.

1. You aren’t alone. Many women have been in this same position before, and many women will be in the future. As best you can, let’s put aside any feelings of shame, guilt or fear as you read this article.

2. There are resources available to you. While you’re the only one capable of choosing the best option for yourself, there are many resources out there designed to help you in that decision. At American Adoptions, we consider ourselves to be one of those resources.

To help you understand what we do at American Adoptions and to help you learn what giving your baby up for adoption in NC could look like for you, we’ve compiled this article about the steps in North Carolina’s adoption process. In no way is this article an attempt to pressure you to choose adoption for your baby.

It's also important to know that you can contact us for free at 1-800-ADOPTION or by filling out this online form to speak to a specialist today.

Adoption isn’t right for everyone. However, the better you understand the process, the more information you’ll be armed with to ultimately make a decision about your unplanned pregnancy.

Please know as you read this article that the phrase “giving baby up for adoption,” as well as similar vernacular, can be offensive to some who have gone through the adoption process. While it’s a phrase commonly used in adoption discussions, in no way are women who choose adoption for their babies “giving up.” They are choosing the best life possible for their children, and it’s an extremely difficult and selfless act.

How do I put my unborn baby up for adoption in North Carolina?

1. Decide if placing a baby for adoption is right for you.

Giving up a baby for adoption in North Carolina is a huge step, both in your life and in the life of your child. It’s one of the biggest you’ll ever take, and there’s additional pressure in knowing it’s not just your own life that’s affected anymore. No one can tell you what to do in this phase of your decision-making process — not your family, not your friends, and not even the baby’s father. Only you know what’s right for you and your baby.

If you need someone to talk to for advice, you are always free to speak with an American Adoptions social worker by calling 1-800-ADOPTION. We won’t ever attempt to pressure you into giving your baby up for adoption in NC, but it can be helpful to talk to someone who can help you understand your options and process your feelings.

2. Create an adoption plan.

If, after considering all of your options, you’ve settled on putting your baby up for adoption in North Carolina, it’s important to know that you are in charge of the entire process with American Adoptions. You’ll be assigned to your own individual adoption specialist, who will help you to map out exactly how you want the adoption process to go. You’ll determine who your ideal adoptive family is, the amount of contact you wish to have with them both before and after the placement of your baby, how you want your stay in the hospital to go and more.

3. Choose an adoptive family for your baby.

At American Adoptions, we’ve completed countless baby adoptions throughout the United States, and we’ve honed in on a process that makes it as easy as possible for you to find the perfect adoptive family for your baby. At any given time, we’re working with hundreds of adoptive families in North Carolina and across the country, and they all have two different materials to let you learn more about them:

1. An adoptive family print and online profile. This serves as a brochure of sorts for you to flip through and learn basic information about the family — the types of jobs they have, their family structure, their hobbies, their environment, etc. If a family’s print profile interests you, you can look at their second type of adoptive family profile.

2. An adoptive family video profile. By watching a video a family has recorded by themselves and of themselves, you get a real sense of who they are, what kind of life they lead, and how they interact with each other. You get a visual representation of how your child’s life might be like if you were to choose them as his or her adoptive family.

4. Get to know the adoptive family you’ve chosen for your child.

Once you’ve met and chosen your child’s adoptive family, it will be time to form a relationship with them. Adoptions aren’t the closed, secretive affairs they once were. Instead, American Adoptions actually recommends some degree of openness, or communication, in an adoptive relationship wherever possible. Remaining in contact with your child and his or her adoptive family benefits not only you, but it allows your child to reach out to you with any questions or concerns. Your baby will never believe that he or she wasn’t wanted or loved.

Before your child is born, then, it can help to begin to get to know their adoptive parents through emails, calls, in-person meetings and more. Your relationship with them can be whatever you’re comfortable with, and your adoption specialist will help you to navigate each step.

5. Plan your hospital stay.

Most pregnant women develop birthing plans during their pregnancy. Like any expectant mother, you’ll decide how and where you want to deliver, who you want to be present, etc. As a woman considering adoption in North Carolina, though, your hospital plan will be a little more developed. Your adoption specialist will help you to consider other details. She’ll ask you questions, like do you want the adoptive family in the room? Do you want to nurse your baby before giving him or her to the adoptive parents?

However you want the day to go, your adoption specialist will make sure that everything goes according to your preferences.

6. Continue to develop your open adoption relationship after placement.

Giving a baby up for adoption in North Carolina may feel like the end of a chapter, but it’s not the end of your adoption journey as a whole. For the rest of your life, you’ll continue to develop and grow your relationship with your baby and their adoptive family. Like any relationship, this will evolve over time. If there are periods in your life when you wish to have less communication, maybe to grieve the adoption or to pursue your own goals, this can be arranged. If you’d prefer to have regular in-person visits, that’s a possibility as well.

For more information about putting a baby up for adoption in North Carolina, call 1-800-ADOPTION, or get free information here. 

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