Open Adoption Families

If you’re on the fence about adoption because you’re not sure you’re ready to be separated from your baby, you’re not alone.

Fortunately, prospective birth parents, today can choose to have an open adoption. Open adoptions are a wonderful way for you to stay in contact with your child and their adoptive parents. Because of the closure open adoptions bring, there are many waiting adoptive families who are interested in having an open adoption.

In this article, you will learn about open adoptions and what they look like for both birth parents and open adoption families.

Our Agency Only Works with Committed Open Adoption Families

If you’re an expectant mother considering an open adoption, American Adoptions has you covered. 

We take pride in encouraging open adoptions for birth parents and adoptive parents alike and facilitating long-lasting relationships. We do everything we can to make sure that both sides feel accommodated and comfortable.

However, open adoptions are more than just an open line of communication. It’s a working relationship that requires understanding and compromise from the birth parents and the open adoption families, and we are more than willing to help make this happen.

Open adoptions are very appealing to both sides because they allow you to stay updated on your child as they thrive and grow, and the open adoption family will be able to take solace in knowing how you are doing, too.

Many hopeful adoptive families pursue open adoptions because of the closure it can bring their adopted child as well as themselves. Your child will never have to wonder about where they came from or why you placed them for adoption, and the adoptive family will be able to speak openly with them about their adoption story.

We have standards in place to ensure that all of the hopeful adoptive families we work with are committed to open adoption. These standards are to bring you peace of mind that you will be able to have an open line of healthy communication with your child and their adoptive family after the adoption has been completed.

Here’s how we ensure that all of the prospective adoptive families that you will be choosing from are invested in an open adoption:

• The open adoption families we work with must be open to direct communication through email and phone with you throughout the adoption process and post-placement. Of course, the degree of direct communication will always be up to you and what you include in your adoption plan. Direct communication will allow the adoptive parents to communicate with you quickly and easily, and vice versa.  If you are comfortable with this direct contact, phone calls, texts, and emails are comfortable and convenient ways to form a lasting bond with your child’s adoptive family. (Remember, your adoption specialist can help mediate contact for you, if you prefer that). 

• The open adoption families we work with must be comfortable with at least one in-person visit within the first five years of the child’s life. This visit would be a good time for you and the adoptive parents to ask and answer any questions you might have for each other. This is a good chance to get the reassurance that your child is happy and healthy with their adoptive parents and that the adoptive family has adjusted. These in-person visits allow you to form a relationship with them so that everyone involved can have a healthy adoption experience. Some adoptive families are also open to annual visits. If that’s something you think you’d be interested in, talk to your adoption specialist so she can send you the right open adoption family profiles.

• We make sure all of the open adoption families that work with us understand that their last names may be shared at some point in the adoption process, and that this is okay. At American Adoptions, your adoption will be as confidential as you want it to be. We will never disclose any of your personal information without your permission. However, in the case of open adoption families, it is common to exchange last names and personal contact information so you all can stay in touch.

This exchange of information allows you to know more about the people who will be raising your child.  Adoption is an intimate process and it’s important that you feel like you can trust the open adoption family.

You Decide What You’re Looking for in an Open Adoption Family

As the birth parent, you will always have a say in what you are looking for in open adoption families. Your adoption specialist will be able to guide your through this process. You will be able to fill out a template that lists your preferences for the adoptive family, and your specialist will compile open adoption family profiles for you to look through.

 Once you’ve chosen an open adoption family that you feel is a perfect match, you can get to know them. The first contact you have with the open adoption family will be a phone call mediated by your adoption professional. After that, you’ll be able to stay in contact with them through texts, calls, emails, and in-person visits

While getting to know the open adoption family, you will be able to discuss what post-placement contact for everyone involved. As the birth parent, you get to decide how much contact you do or do not want to have post-placement. Every birth parent is different, and it’s important that you are comfortable with the amount of communication that you will have with the open adoption family and the child.

If you’re interested in pursuing an open adoption or want more information on open adoption families, contact us today or call 1-800-ADOPTION to learn more about your open adoption options.

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