Urgent Adoptions: Are You Ready for the Unexpected?
Brianna called Heart to Heart Adoptions' 24-hour line.
When Wendy answered, Brianna hung up. She called again—then hung up again. The third time, she finally had the courage to speak.
"Wendy was an angel," Brianna later said.
Brianna's baby was four months old and was just being released from the hospital. Social services wouldn't allow Brianna to take the child home.
We urgently needed a family for this baby—a medically fragile baby—and we needed to find one before the baby was discharged.
The call came unexpectedly, and we hadn't yet located the birth father, but the family had to pick up the baby despite the uncertainties surrounding the placement.
This kind of unexpected situation is not necessarily a weekly occurrence. But it is not unusual.
Cases such as these often provided little information to Heart to Heart Adoptions.
Case managers at Heart to Heart Adoptions will eventually get some information. But you may be asked to present your profile and be matched to a situation before we know a lot of important details. These details include such things as:
Substance Use
Was the birth mother using drugs during pregnancy?
Medical History
What is the health history of the birth mother, the baby, and the extended family?
Birth Father Risk
Is he aware of the pregnancy, and does he approve of the adoption?
Health of the Baby
Was the baby premature or born with substances in their system, or are there other concerns?
STD's
Does the mother present with any sexually transmitted diseases that could affect the baby?
Open Adoption vs Closed Adoption
Does the birth mother want an open adoption or a closed adoption, and what level of communication will be expected?
Sibling Group
Occasionally, we have sibling groups who need placement.
Click here to contact Heart to Heart Adoptions.
Heart to Heart Adoptions Unexpected Situations.
In these cases, we at Heart to Heart Adoptions are limited in what we know and must trust that the birth mother is providing us with honest self-reporting. We strive to build a trusting relationship to get as much pertinent information as possible. But often, time is of the essence.
If there is substance abuse, this may trigger the involvement of Child Protective Services. We work with CPS, the hospital social worker, and the birth mother to find a family as quickly as possible.
If you're uncomfortable making decisions based on limited information, quick situations may not suit you.
Not only was Brianna quickly matched, but she placed her baby with an adoptive family that continues to build a trusting relationship with Brianna with regular updates and pictures.
But if you feel a quick situation would work for you, please let us know if you are one of those families.
Click here to contact Heart to Heart Adoptions.
Comments