Adoption Unknowns Give Up My Baby

“There are so many unknowns in adoption,” Christa said as she admitted that she was a type-A personality who liked to have a backup plan for her backup plan.

The potential adoptive mother was surprised that every situation presented to her and her husband was so different.

The differences included:

• Birth plan and where and when the birth will occur. This may be an hour away or across the country.
• If the birth mother lives out of state, the placement must abide by that state’s laws, and ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) must be granted before the child can be moved. This can take a few days to more than a week.
• How much contact the birth mother wants to have prior to birth.
• How much contact the birth mother wants to have after birth.
• The health of the birth mother.
• The involvement of the birth mother’s extended family
• The birth father’s willingness to be involved.
• The birth father’s willingness to provide information.
• The physical and psychological support the birth mother needs before giving birth.
• The physical and psychological support the birth mother needs after placing her baby.
• The commitment level of the birth mother to placing the child.
• The child’s gender.
• The potential for a substance-exposed infant
• How Covid will affect relationship-building before the birth of the child and during the hospital stay

Adoptive families must be willing to navigate all of the above and often more.

One thing which didn’t change for Christa and her husband was the cost. Heart to Heart has a  flat fee with their adoptions. This means that regardless of everything else which changes, the cost will remain the same.

“We always knew they were there to support us,” Christa said, “and we always knew what the cost was going to be.”