Heart to Heart Adoptions — Rochester, New York
From Kodak City to Healthcare HubAre you pregnant in Rochester and weighing what your options are? As you know Rochester is a place that has reinvented itself. This was once the home of Kodak’s manufacturing, but now it has become a center for healthcare and higher education. There is the University of Rochester, RIT, and Monroe Community College all part of the city’s daily life.
Rochester has also welcomed refugees that live near a large Puerto Rican community that goes back to the 1950s.
Heart to Heart Adoptions has served birth mothers across Rochester and the wider Finger Lakes region for years.
When you call the 24/7 hour line, you will get one of three women who have counseled thousands of women who are unsure about what is going to happen for them in the future. This is a time that these women will listen to you. You are in an unexpected situation and you are trying to find the right path.
Counseling starts right away. Living-cost help starts at month 8 of pregnancy, under New York law.
What support is available for birth mothers in Rochester?
Heart to Heart gives the full range of free support to women in Rochester. Counseling starts with your first call — 24 hours a day. Living-cost help starts at month 8 of pregnancy, under New York law.
- Counseling: available 24/7, from your very first call. We know that when you first call you are probably wanting to see the broader picture to decide what should happen with your life.
- Housing assistance: starting at month 8 of pregnancy under NY law. If you are in an unsafe situation or a toxic situation, we will help you get support immediately.
- There is the potential for support for medical care.
- Groceries, utilities and daily needs: help that fits where you live
- You will have a lawyer that is not only free, but is there for you. Not for the adoptive parents, not for the agency, but for you to help you understand your rights and make certain you do not feel pressured.
Because there are so many students in Rochester, we often get calls from women who are juggling classes, family expectations, and money worries. They do not know what to do with the extra pressure of an unplanned pregnancy.
We understand the pressure you may be under. Whatever your background or whatever your first language, Heart to Heart Adoptions can connect you with the right support.
Hospitals in this area
If you’re making a hospital plan, here are two maternity hospitals in Rochester. Heart to Heart Adoptions has worked with these hospitals and others in the area. We want to go to the hospital that you feel the most comfortable working with.
How does the adoption process work here?
When you make the first call to Heart to Heart Adoptions, or you make that first text, you haven’t really started the process, you have started your investigation. Here is where you decide what is right for you and what kind of help is possible.
From there, a caseworker helps you build your plan at your own pace.
If you sign consent outside of court, New York law gives you a window afterward to change your mind. That is a great thing about New York adoption law. You should never feel pressured or that you don’t have other options.
You get your own free lawyer. This lawyer is just for you. To represent you.
New York also lets you set up a contact plan with the adoptive family that a judge can approve and enforce. This provides real protection for your open adoption.
From our team
“We have seen such a mix of situations and women from Rochester who have concerns about an unplanned pregnancy. No two women who call us are ever facing the same situation. We meet each one where she actually is.”
— Birth Parent Support Specialist, Rochester
Can I stay connected with my child after adoption in Rochester?
Yes. New York state law makers decided that a birth mother should have the right to have a legally enforceable contact contract. That means that you can write a contact contract. This Post-Adoption Contact Agreement can be approved by a judge and is enforceable by law.
We can help you design the contract and present it to a judge. You choose how much contact. This might be yearly photos, regular calls, or in-person visits.
What do women in Rochester ask before calling?
Women here often ask:
- What if I’m a student at U of R or RIT and need this kept private?
- What does living-cost help look like for Rochester housing?
- Can I do counseling by phone or video instead of traveling?
- What about women in the Finger Lakes region or smaller Monroe County towns?
Heart to Heart’s counselors have answered all of these.
A Rochester adoption story
Typically people believe that the average birth mother is young, unmarried, and scared to raise a child. Nadine* did not fit any of those stereotypes. The mother of two successful high school students found herself pregnant in her early forties.
She felt she couldn’t manage another child with her high maintenance children and a stressful job. But she figured adoption agencies only worked with younger, first-time birth mothers and wouldn’t be willing to take her situation seriously.
The first call she made to Michelle was after dropping her son off to a soccer practice while driving to get groceries for the weekend. As the concerned mother sat in the parking lot and watched families come and go with their bags of produce and gallon milk jugs, she talked with Michelle.
Michelle helped Nadine find a family, built a plan about placement, and how open the adoption would be. In the eighth month of the pregnancy Michelle helped financially for Nadine to take some time off and then gave support for another 30 days after the baby was born.
After Michelle heard about the personalities of the two older children, she felt that their input would be very valuable. They were involved in choosing the adoptive family and how the open adoption contract would look.
*Names changed
“Michelle made this such a great experience for my other kids. I thought that made me the wrong kind of person to even ask about this. Nobody made me feel that way.”
— Nadine, Birth Mother, Rochester
Real Questions Women Ask About Rochester
Explore each topic in more detail.
That doesn’t change your options. Your caseworker will talk with you about your full situation, including your existing family.
Yes. Many calls and check-ins can happen by phone during breaks or after hours, around your work schedule.
Yes, or by phone and video if that’s easier for your schedule and privacy.
Yes. New York law requires consent to be signed after birth, so deciding at or after delivery is completely normal.
Yes. Heart to Heart pays for everything: legal help, counseling, case management, medical coordination. Living-cost help also starts at month 8 of pregnancy, under New York law.
Support starts with your first call, before you’ve decided anything. The month-8 rule under NY law only affects money for living costs. Counseling and emotional support start right away.
What financial help is available?
Your Rights as a Birth Mother in New York (PDF)Free PDF, no signup required
Can I see real families that have placed babies?
Questions to Ask Your Adoption Attorney (PDF)Free PDF, no signup required
New York Downloadable PDFs to Help Plan an Adoption
You don't have to do this alone.
We're here to walk beside you—every step of the way.
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