Can I Make an Adoption Hospital Plan? [Yes - Here's How]

American Adoptions will help you make a hospital plan that addresses your every need and to ensures your labor, delivery and hospital experience is exactly what you want it to be. 

• You can choose everything about your hospital experience. 

• Where you want to deliver, who you want at the hospital for support and time with your baby are all decisions you get to make. 

• Decide how much interaction you want with the adoptive family at the hospital. 

Ready to get started? Call 1-800-ADOPTION at any time to get free information about the process.

What is an Adoption Hospital Plan? 

An adoption hospital plan is a birth plan created by a woman who is considering placing her baby for adoption.

Most pregnant women develop a birth plan to help them prepare for the delivery of their baby. A birth plan typically outlines a woman’s desires for her labor and hospital experience — factors like whether or not she wants pain medication, who her doctor should be, who she wants in the delivery room with her, what her preferred delivery method is and more. 

When you are making an adoption plan for your baby, it’s important to create an adoption birthing plan that covers all these details and more. You may have a lot more going on at the hospital than a woman who is planning to parent, and it’s important to be very clear with everyone involved about what you need on this day. 

Similar to your adoption plan, you are also in complete control of your birth plan for adoption. In addition to the decisions every woman makes in her birth plan, you’ll have a number of other questions to consider, including: 

• Which members of your support system will be with you at the hospital? 

• Do you want to spend time with the adoptive family at the hospital? If so, how much? 

• Do you want the adoptive family to be in the delivery room with you? 

• If you have other children, will they be at the hospital? 

• How much time do you think you’ll want to spend with your baby? Do you want to have that time with your baby alone, with the adoptive family, or both? 

• Who will hold your baby first? 

• Do you want any pictures taken of you with the baby? Do you want pictures taken with the adoptive family? 

• Do you want photos of just your baby to bring home with you from the hospital? 

• Do you want to nurse your baby? 

• Do you want to give any special gifts or keepsakes to your baby? 

• Do you want to leave the hospital before or after your baby? 

• Do you want to leave the hospital with or without the adoptive family? 

There is a lot to consider, so most women will begin thinking about their birth plan for adoption early on in the adoption process. However, you likely won’t have a finalized adoption hospital plan until closer to the delivery. To get more information on creating an adoption hospital plan and addressing the many decisions involved, call 1-800-ADOPTION to speak to one of our adoption professionals today.

What if I Want to Change My Adoption Hospital Birth Plan? 

It’s completely okay to change your hospital birth plan in adoption, even after you arrive at the hospital; the goal is to make you comfortable, and it’s natural for preferences to change during what can be an emotional and hectic time.   

For example, you will most likely become more and more comfortable with the adoptive family as you get to know them during your pregnancy, and you may decide when you go into labor that you do in fact want them in the delivery room with you. That idea may have previously seemed uncomfortable, given that at one point they were strangers to you. 

You may also be afraid to have time alone with your baby at first but later decide that you want to have and cherish that memory. It’s completely okay for your newborn adoption birth plan to evolve as you get farther along in the adoption process; just let your adoption specialist know, and she will make sure to inform the adoptive family and hospital staff and advocate for your wishes. 

Why Every Woman Needs a Hospital Birth Plan in Adoption 

Every woman deserves to feel as comfortable and confident as possible during childbirth. That’s why having a birth plan is so important — especially if you are making a birth plan in adoption. 

It’s common for women making an adoption plan to wonder, “What will my hospital stay be like? How am I going to feel? When will placement occur, and what happens next? 

While nothing can completely prepare you for this emotional experience, your adoption specialist will be there to help you feel as prepared and confident as possible ahead of your hospital stay. She will work closely with you to develop an “adoption hospital plan” or “adoption birth plan” — essentially, an outline of exactly what you want your labor and delivery experience to be like. 

Having an adoption hospital birth plan in place before you go into labor tells your adoption specialist, the adoptive family and the hospital staff exactly what you want your hospital visit to look like. 

When you make a birth plan with an adoption agency like American Adoptions, your specialist can also help you prepare for the emotions you can expect at the hospital. This will be one of the most physically and emotionally challenging parts of your adoption experience, and by discussing those feelings when you make your adoption birthing plan, you can feel more confident and in control of your delivery experience. 

Get More Information on Creating Your Adoption Hospital Plan   

Michelle, a birth parent specialist and a birth parent herself, is ready to answer any questions you have about the adoption hospital plan and putting a baby up for adoption.          

“I am available to answer any questions that arise, particularly from birth moms, as I have been in your shoes and know how you are feeling,” Michelle said.          

You can ask Michelle questions about the adoption process online. You can also call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or get free information with our online contact form for prospective birth mothers considering adoption here. Adoptive families wanting more information on adopting a child can click here to get more information. 

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