Can You Put a Baby Up for Adoption After You Take them Home?

Becoming a parent is so hard, and it’s completely normal to second-guess yourself after you have brought your new baby home.

But, what if the feelings you have are stemming from something much more serious than simple first-time parent nerves? If you’re asking, “Can I give my baby up for adoption after taking it home?” then maybe it’s time to seriously consider adoption for your baby. Call 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with an adoption professional today. They will explain the options you have available, as well as walk you through the adoption process.

Your thoughts about adoption are normal — and not as uncommon as you may think. Some prospective birth parents don’t consider adoption until after they’ve given birth and brought their new child home. Perhaps you have realized that adoption will provide your baby with an amazing life full of all the opportunities you want for them, and you want to choose loving, prepared parents who have been longing for the opportunity to raise a child.

Whatever your reasons for placing a child for adoption after taking them home, you always have options available to you. 

Until then, read on to learn more about giving a baby up for adoption after taking it home from the hospital — whether it’s been days, weeks, or even months since he or she was born.

Giving a Baby Up for Adoption After Taking it Home: Where to Begin

With adoption being such a life-changing decision, it’s important to first consider that these could be normal feelings for any new parent. A new baby can bring sleepless nights, stress, or even postpartum depression for some women. If you think these feelings may pass, seek out help and support wherever possible.

With that said, if you’re constantly wondering, “Can I give a child up for adoption after I have taken her home?”, adoption could be exactly what’s best for you and your baby. If this is your situation, we can absolutely help you.

Adoption is a brave, selfless, heroic act. Given the beneficial impact, it might be the best thing you ever do for yourself and your baby. Some of those benefits include: 

• Giving your child a life full of opportunity

• Hand-picking the perfect family to provide the life you're envisioning for your baby

• It allows you to continue working toward your own dreams while knowing your child is being loved beyond measure

• You can remain involved in your child’s life and watch them thrive through an open adoption

With over 30 years of experience as one of the nation’s largest domestic infant adoption agencies, American Adoptions understands exactly what you are experiencing. Many of our staff have their own personal adoption experience, either as adoptive parents, adoptees, or birth parents themselves, so, we know firsthand what kind of services and support you need through this process. We have helped thousands of birth mothers place their children with loving families, and we are certain we can help you as well. We can help you realize that adoption isn’t just for unborn babies. Even if your baby is already born and you’ve been caring for him or her at home, you can still choose adoption for your child.

It’s Never Too Late to Choose Adoption: Steps in the Adoption Process

You can still make an adoption plan for older babies and even toddlers. However, the age of your child will affect how you’ll proceed with your adoption.

To learn what your next steps should be, call us now at 1-800-ADOPTION. You can talk with an adoption specialist about how you can “give a baby up” for adoption after you take it home from the hospital and what’s possible in your individual situation.

Even if you’re feeling overwhelmed and you want to complete your adoption as soon as possible, you will still want to adhere to these safety rules:

• Always work with an agency, like American Adoptions. You must work with a licensed adoption agency or attorney to locate a properly screened and approved adoptive family, or you could be committing the serious crime of child trafficking.  You can view pre-screened adoptive family profiles online, or have your adoption professional request print profiles.

• Do not abandon your child. Although most states have Safe Haven laws for infants within a certain age range, if you do not abide by those laws precisely, you could be committing child abandonment or endangerment.

• It’s important that you complete your adoption legally and safely in order to protect yourself and your baby. American Adoptions provides you with legal representation to ensure that this happens.

A lot of the adoption process will remain the same for you as it would for any prospective birth mother, but if your baby is already born and you’ve been raising him or her, there will be a few changes to the standard adoption process. It’s important to note that you’re still in charge of every decision that’s made in your child’s adoption plan. The key difference is that certain steps may be sped up.

Here’s how things usually work if you’re “giving a baby up” for adoption after taking it home:

Step 1: Contact an adoption professional. You’ll call 1-800-ADOPTION, and an adoption specialist will help you fill out some forms and talk with you about what you’re looking for in an adoptive family. You will also create an adoption plan, which essentially maps out each step of the process based on your personal preferences.

Step 2: Search for adoptive parents. Your specialist will show you adoption profiles of waiting families who match what you’re looking for. From these profiles, you can select the family you think is the best fit for your child, and get to know them more through phone calls, email, or whatever forms of contact you’re most comfortable with.

Step 3: Meet the adoptive family. When you’re sure you’re ready to proceed, the family will travel to you to meet in person. Depending on the age of your baby, there may be a longer transition period while you and your child get to know the prospective parents.

Step 4: Legally place your baby for adoption. When it is time to officially place your baby with the adoptive family, your adoption attorney will walk you through the adoption paperwork, which officially completes the adoption process and places your child with their adoptive parents.

Step 5: Continue your relationship. After the adoption, you can stay in contact with the adoptive family through text messages, email, phone calls, video chats, or whatever forms of contact you choose! Your adoption specialist will help you and the adoptive family create a post-adoption contact plan that everyone is comfortable with.

Remember that placing a child for adoption does not mean that you’ll never see them again. Nine out of 10 birth parents choose to have an open adoption, so they stay in touch with their child and their adoptive parents forever. Many birth families remain close with adoptees and adoptive families.

Potential Challenges and Benefits to Consider

One of the biggest challenges of choosing to “give a baby up” for adoption after taking it home is that you’ve had more time to bond with your child, which can make this decision even more difficult. However, we’re here to support you 24/7 and to help you through the complex emotions you may be dealing with. This may be the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make, but remember that you’re not alone.

It can be helpful to read stories from other birth parents who placed a child for adoption after taking them home from the hospital and raising them for several months. Casey, a birth mother who chose American Adoptions to help with her adoption, explains her adoption situation here.

“I just came to the point where I didn’t want their life to consist of their mom working really hard at two jobs just to get by, and then I’m barely home,” Casey said. “Some people are a product of their environment… I didn’t want the streets to raise them because I’m so busy trying to provide for them, and I wanted them to have a father figure.”

This is just one example of the 1000s of birth mothers who have chosen adoption after their baby has been born and they have taken them home. For parents who have asked us, “Can I give my baby up for adoption after taking it home?” there are often complicated stressors in their lives, and raising a baby in the middle of those stressors is just too much. If this sounds like your own situation, placing your baby for adoption, although an incredibly difficult decision, may be the best option for your baby’s wellbeing as well as your own.

If you believe that this might be the best option for you, there is some information that your social worker will ask you to provide if you choose to make an adoption plan, such as:

• Your child’s birth certificate

• The name of your child’s father listed on the birth certificate

• Any and all medical records for the child from birth to present

• Documentation of everywhere the child has lived from birth to present

• Assess everyone who has had custody of your child from birth to present

• Assess who has provided emotional and financial support for your child from birth to present

• Documentation of child support from any father

Once all the necessary information has been provided, you can choose a waiting adoptive family who is prepared for a baby. If you feel that you aren’t able to give your child the life you want to, adoption can be a benefit to everyone involved.

While it’s never too late to choose adoption, the age of your child will affect the process. Like many private adoption agencies, American Adoptions primarily specializes in the placement of newborns, infants, and very young children, up to 4 years old on a case-by-case basis. If your child is older than 4, we recommend reaching out to a local social services department for more information on older child adoptions.

If you returned home from the hospital with your baby days, weeks, or even months ago, call 1-800-ADOPTION or get free information online now to learn more about adoption. Our counselors will be able to talk with you about what’s possible in your situation and help you decide what the best path is for you.

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