The choice of adoption is a life-changing experience for everyone involved. Your child finds the perfect home, you create a better future for you and your baby and an adoption family get to live out their dream of growing their family. Before you begin your adoption journey, you likely have questions. You can all 1-800-ADOPTION to get answers now.

Our adoption specialists receive hundreds of adoption questions every day from women just like you. Thankfully, we have the answers you’re looking for. 

When considering adoption for you and your child, it helps to get information and guidance from professionals who understand the adoption process, which is why American Adoptions is your best source for obtaining answers to all of your questions. 

Many of our adoption professionals have placed a child for adoption, grow their own family by adopting or are an adoptee themselves. We understand the emotions you’re feeling and the many questions you have about adoption. Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to have a safe, smooth and life-changing experience resulting in a life-long bond with a special adoptive family that will love and cares for your child. 

Adoption provides hope and a better future for everyone involved. Take it from Scott Mars, founder of American Adoptions, and an adoptee himself:    

“My mom and dad were a couple who weren’t able to become a mom and dad without adoption. Of all people in this world, my mom and dad deserve to be parents. And without adoption, they would not have been able to share their love, share their life, and give someone the life that I had."     

“Because of adoption, my life was filled with love and opportunity.”  You can watch Scott’s video to see his entire adoption story. 

Before we create an adoption plan for you, these are the 10 most commonly asked questions about adoption to give you a better idea of how the process works today and with American Adoptions. 

If your adoption question doesn't appear below, please contact us at 1-800-ADOPTION or via our confidential form for more information. 

1. If I contact American Adoptions, am I obligated to choose adoption? 

When you contact American Adoptions, an adoption professional will help you objectively explore adoption to determine if it is the best choice for you and your baby and they will help answer any of your other adoption questions. If you decide adoption is right for you, your adoption professional will begin working with you on your adoption plan. 

If you’re ready to start your adoption journey with our agency or need more information on what adoption means for you, call our toll-free number, 1-800-ADOPTION, or visit us online.

2. Can I choose adoption if I have other children? 

You may be surprised to know that over 60 percent of the women we work with already have children.  

If this describes your situation, your adoption specialist will guide you on how to approach this delicate topic with your other children, and even on how to include them in the process. We can even provide counseling to your other children, when necessary. 

3. How much will adoption cost me? 

All of American Adoptions’ services are free to you, including medical expenses, legal services, counseling services, adoptive family matching services and more.

Also, based on your state's adoption laws, you may be eligible to receive living expenses to help cover your pregnancy-related expenses. 

4. Do I choose the adoptive family? 

You are in charge of nearly every part of the adoption, including choosing the adoptive family to raise your baby. Your adoption specialist will work with you to find exactly the type of family you see your child growing up in. 

Whether you envision your child growing up in the city or in the country, in the Midwest or on the West Coast, you choose the adoptive family and thus the life your child will have. American Adoptions’ families are all unique, and we believe there is a perfect family waiting for every woman who is considering adoption. 

5. Can I get to know the adoptive family? 

We believe it is very important for you to get to know the family you have chosen before proceeding with the adoption. This ensures that it is a good match and that you both share the same goals. 

Here are some ways in which you can get to know the adoptive parents: 

• Conference Calls – A phone conversation between you and the adoptive family with your adoption specialist being present on the call as well. 
• Email Exchange – A popular way to quickly ask questions or provide updates without having to call one another. 
• Visits – An in-person meeting between you and the adoptive parents. 

Your adoption professional will help guide you throughout this process of getting to know the adoptive parents at a level and pace that is comfortable for you.

6. Can I have a relationship with my baby? 

Over the past few decades, adoption has become increasingly “open” in that birth parents have more opportunities than ever to continue a relationship with their child and the adoptive parents. 

You have the opportunity to stay a part of your child’s life with: 

• Pictures and Letters – The adoptive family sends you pictures and letters in the mail or email of your child at least once per year. 
• Phone Calls/Skype – You may talk to your child and the adoptive parents over the phone or through Skype. 
• Visits – Many of our adoptive families are interested in open adoption, meaning they are excited for you to maintain a personal relationship with your child. 

7. How do American Adoptions screen adoptive families? 

American Adoptions pre-screens all of our adoptive families to ensure that they: 

• Have completed an extensive home study, ensuring the family has completed criminal, medical and financial checks, and that their home is a safe environment for a child. 
• Are fully committed to adoption. 
• Are accepting of certain contact with you before and after the adoption, including participating in a conference call, meeting at the hospital, and sending pictures and letters for up to 18 years after the adoption. 

Finally, American Adoptions will provide you with a wealth of knowledge about any family that matches your preferences, so you can perform your own “screening process.” 

8. Will adoptive parents love my child like a biological child?  

Most adoptive parents have tried for years to have children, but they are unable to because of infertility. Their struggles make their desire to become parents even stronger. 

This is why adopted children often have such happy lives filled with opportunities because their parents know the feeling of not having children. Once they are blessed with a child, he or she is truly the light of their lives. 

And even with families made up of both adopted and biological children, they are all loved and treated equally. 

9. How will my child feel about me if I choose adoption for them? 

Today, most adopted children love and respect their birth parents for the selfless decision they made, which provided them with the best life possible.  

Think about it: A child who grows up with loving parents, a comfortable home, a good school and is provided an overall great life is going to be a pretty happy kid. 

Why would a child have any ill feelings toward his or her birth parents for making such an awesome decision? 

This concern is most likely a product of adoptions prior to the 1980s, which emotionally scarred some adopted children because they weren’t told of their adoption properly. Since adoption has opened up over the past 30 years, adopted children, adolescents and adults often have overwhelmingly positive feelings about their adoption and birth parents. 

10. When will I feel better and more confident about my adoption decision? 

Women often feel better about their adoption decision when they begin looking at adoptive families and finally find the perfect family for their child. 

If you pursue an adoption plan, once you select a family and get to know them, the family becomes more "real" and not just a family is seen through pictures and video. You are able to see how excited they are to become parents and why they would make such great parents. 

Finally, by staying connected after the adoption, you will see that your child is happy and healthy, which makes most birth mothers feel awesome about the life they've created and the opportunity they've provided for a family. 

Start Your Adoption Journey Today [Your Adoption is a Life-Changing Experience]    

This is just a sample of the many questions asked by women considering adoption. Michelle, a birth parent specialist and a birth parent herself, is ready to answer any questions you have about 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. “It was most helpful to me when I had someone to talk to who would just listen to me without making any judgments or conclusions about who I was as a person.”      

You can ask Michelle questions about the adoption process online. You can also call us toll-free 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. 

Disclaimer 

The information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. America Adoptions, Inc. provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy. 

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.