If you are pregnant and thinking about placing your child for adoption, you may want to consider open adoption. Different from a closed adoption which involves zero ongoing contact with the baby and the adoptive parents, an open adoption involves photos, letters, phone calls, emails and even in-person visits. At Angel Adoption, Inc, we want both birthparents and adoptive parents to be happy with the type of adoption and amount of openness involved. Consider these facts about open adoption before deciding if open adoption is the best choice for you and your baby.
There Are Rules
Even though an open adoption involves things such as photos, letters, phone calls and visits, there are still limits. Choosing an open adoption doesn’t mean birthparents get to visit the adoptive family whenever they please. It does not necessarily mean that birthparents are integrated into the adoptive family, either. Before the official placement of your child, your case worker will discuss the levels of openness with both the birthparents and adoptive parents and choose a system that is best for everyone. Once the adoption is finalized, there will be no altering or changing of the agreement. If at any point both the birthparents and adoptive parents wish for more openness, it will need to be discussed with your adoption case worker.
Benefits for Birthparents
In an open adoption, the birthmother or birthparents have a sense of control with the ability to review, interview and select parents for their child. This offers the birthparents security, empowerment and control, while giving them confidence and comfort that the adoptive parents are a good fit for the child. With an open adoption, many birthparents have an easier time dealing with the adoption because the ability to communicate with the adoptive family eases them back into everyday life without guilt or regret. Additionally, one of the most precious things about an open adoption is that the child will always have a sense that his birthparents wanted to be apart of his life.
Benefits for Adoptive Parents
The open adoption experience differs with each family – but birthparents should also consider the benefits and advantages open adoption offers the adoptive parents. An open adoption can be beneficial to the child’s health because the adoptive parents are medically informed and are able to continue to obtain new medical information about the birthparents over a course of time. An open adoption is also beneficial to adoptive parents because there is an opportunity to develop an on-going relationship with the birthmother or birth families. Additionally, in an open adoption adoptive parents receive affirmation and gain confidence in knowing they were hand-picked by the birthparents to become the adoptive family.
Placing a child for adoption is a difficult decision, but with the help of Angel Adoption, Inc you have options. If you are unsure if open adoption is right for you and your baby, the Angel Adoption staff can help you explore closed adoption and semi open adoption. Should you have any questions or just need support, please contact us anytime.
