Trusting the Adoptive Family in Open Adoption

Through open adoption, you can build a healthy, trusting relationship with the adoptive family you choose. 

Here’s what open adoption often looks like:

• Open adoption means you have open communication with the adoptive family throughout the process as well as post-adoption. 
• In an “open” or “semi-open” adoption, you get updates from the adoptive family through letters and pictures as well as phone calls, video chats and in-person visits. 
• Early communication and getting to know the adoptive family can help develop a trusting relationship moving forward. 

How can you trust that the adoptive family will hold up their end of the open adoption? 

If you’re asking this question, you’re not alone. And we’re here to help. There are steps you can take during your adoption process to strengthen your relationship with the adoptive parents and build trust in each other. We’ve seen many beautiful relationships come from anxious situations. 

We are here to provide you with more information on the relationship with the adoptive family and steps you can take to help build a healthy, trusting connection with the family you choose. Call 1-800-ADOPTION or visit us online to speak with one of our specialists to create an adoption plan and begin searching for available families, today!  

You may feel worried about maintaining contact after placement. That’s normal.

Hopefully, this guide to trusting the adoptive family in post-placement communication will ease your fears and give you practical steps to building a better relationship. 

Creating a Clear Adoption Plan to Develop Trust 

If you want to trust the adoptive family, you always need to trust yourself. That starts with a clear adoption plan that you feel confident in. You can do this with the help of your adoption specialist, who will provide you with guidance on how to build a healthy relationship with the adoptive family. 

When you first choose adoption, you’ll create a plan that involves a ton of details. One section of that plan is about adoption communication.

When creating your adoption communication plan, you’ll think about questions like: 

• Do I want to see the adoptive family before the adoption? 
• Do I want in-person contact, or communication through email, text and phone calls? 
• How frequently do I want to communicate with the family after the adoption? 
• And more 

The clearer your plan, the more prepared you will feel. This will give you a sense of steady assurance about your open adoption, which will help you trust the adoptive family to fulfill their role, just like you are fulfilling yours. 

Maintaining Boundaries and Expectations 

Boundaries and clear expectations come right on the heels of a solid adoption communication plan. These are important when building a healthy connection, which in turn increases your confidence in the ongoing relationship. 

What do we mean when we say “boundaries”? It goes both ways. For instance, as a birth mother, you may need space after placement to process all of the emotions you are feeling. During this time, a barrage of baby pictures might not be helpful. So, a boundary for the adoptive family could be “no pictures until the birth mother requests them.” 

Expectations can involve the type of communication, the frequency of communication and more. These are best worked out, if possible, in conjunction with the adoptive family.

When you each have a role in creating expectations, it increases the likelihood that everyone plays their part appropriately. 

Boundaries and expectations can help you feel confident and trust the adoptive family as time goes on. To get more information on how to develop clear boundaries in your adoption, call us at 1-800-ADOPTION. 

Trusting the Adoption Process 

One of the best things you can do to establish trust in an open adoption is working with American Adoptions. We have a well-developed screening process for adoptive families, and we require all families to be open to at least semi-open adoption. 

When a family starts the adoption process with us, they fill out an Adoption Planning Questionnaire (APQ) in which they outline the type of adoption communication they are open to. When your adoption specialist presents you with adoptive family profiles, she will only show you families whose APQs match your adoption plan. That way, you don’t have to worry about the family having different expectations. You’ll be on the same page. 

As a prospective birth mother, you have all of the decision-making power when it comes to picking the adoptive family.

Adoptive family profiles, especially video profiles like the ones American Adoptions offers, really help you to feel a personal connection with families before choosing them. This means you can start your relationship already knowing that you like the family. It also gives you things to talk about, since you have seen some of their life in the video profile. 

Being Patient as the Relationship Grows 

True connectivity between birth mothers and adoptive families takes time. Relationships can’t be forced; it has to come naturally.

With this in mind, set your expectations appropriately. You may hit it off on your first phone call with the adoptive parents, but it could also take time. If things don’t seem to go smoothly right away, don’t lose hope. You can still trust in the relationship to form over time. 

Keep putting in the effort and the adoptive family will, too. 

You can also rely on the help of your adoption specialist when you feel your patience being tested. Your adoption specialist can reach out to the adoptive family for you if you ever feel things need to get back on track. 

Believing Open Adoption is Good for Everyone 

Families are taught the benefits of open adoption when hopeful parents choose adoption. Throughout their process, they are shown time and time again how good open adoption is for a child. This means that good adoptive families are eager to participate in open adoption because they believe it is a good thing. 

If you can trust the adoptive family and believe this for yourself, as well, then the communication process will feel much easier. 

Find an Adoptive Family and Begin Building a Healthy and Trusting Relationship 

We’ve been serving birth mothers and adoptive families for more than 30 years, and we’ve seen many open adoption relationships turn into a lifelong blessing for everyone involved. Whether you receive photos and letters, talk over the phone or meet in person, you can decide to trust in the adoptive family and, from that trust, build a great relationship. 

To learn more about trusting adoptive parents in open adoption, you can request more free information about adoption or call 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with an adoption specialist today. 

You can also ask Michelle, a birth parent specialist and a birth parent herself. Michelle is ready to answer any questions you have about putting a baby up for adoption and developing a relationship with the adoptive family.             

“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.” 

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