ARE YOU PREGNANT?
ARE YOU CONSIDERING ADOPTION?
Finding out your pregnant unexpectedly bring a lot of big emotions. Know that you will be OK, no matter what you choose to do.
We provide you with a support person to help you learn about adoption as an option, and help you get the information you need to feel empowered to make the choice that is most right for you and your child.
If you are pregnant, and not sure what to do, we are here to help. Contact us and let us know you’re ready to connect.
*All of our services for expectant parents are free of charge*
WHAT TO EXPECT
- First, an Adoption Specialist will meet with you to learn about what is going on in your life, and what you’re hoping for from adoption.
- We support you in getting to prenatal appointments, getting needed resources and preparing for delivery.
- We help find a family that meets your needs. We help you to build that relationship and a plan for how you want the adoption to look.
- During your labor and delivery, we can be there with you if you’d like. We can also arrange for you to have a Doula for delivery. When you are ready, you sign paperwork placing your child for adoption.
- When you return home from the hospital, we will continue visiting with you as you need us.
FIND A FAMILY FOR MY BABY
There are hundreds of individuals or couples out in the world who have completed the intensive process of being Home Study approved. The pictured families are just a few of the available options.
Let us know what you are looking for in a family, and we’ll show you as many options as it takes to find the right one.
Megan and Travis
“We love spending time together and traveling”
View Profile
Camillia
“With children, Camillia is patient
and kind…”
View Profile
CLICK here to learn about choosing a family
PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE PARENT PROFILES:
Mike and Tom
“We are committed to being the best dads, coaches and
support system for our future child”
View Profile
Tasha & Randy
“We wish to provide a child with love, support, guidance, and opportunity to reach skyward…”
View Profile
I am pregnant. Now what?
F.A.Q.
Is this different than foster care?
Absolutely. You are in complete control of how adoption looks for you and your child. You are not giving away your baby or abandoning them. With Foster Care, the child welfare system is deciding who parents your child and how you can stay connected, if at all. Adoption is a well thought out, planned choice and process that is motivated by love and care.
Do I choose the adoptive family?
An expectant parent talks with the Adoption Specialist about the things that are important to them regarding the family they’d like for their child. Some expectant parents request the agency to pick a family, and want very little involvement. Others identify the race, family composition, religion, hobbies, or other characteristics of their desired family. We will work together to meet your needs regarding the things you feel are important. We then support you through interviewing selected families so that you can see who you share a good vibe with and ultimately want to match. A “match” is a noncommittal to the family and to adoption, but it verbally identifies this family as the choice, should you ultimately choose adoption. If the family of your dreams is not available through Absolute Love, we use a large network of connections throughout the country to find the right fit for you.
You communicate your desires for the potential adoptive parent(s). There is a Home Study approved family that is open to parenting your child regardless of anything you tell us about your lifestyle, your medical history, or anything else.
We have several approved families within the agency to offer you. If you don’t find the family you are looking for there, you are certainly not limited to those families. We have a wonderful network of professionals who have hundreds of approved families available to you. At your request, we will search far and wide to find them.
Visit our blog HERE for info on how to choose a family.
Yes! If you’d like to talk to the family beforehand, meet them, include them at the delivery, spend time with them, etc, that is up to you. You tell us what amount of contact you want with the family and how you would like each step to look. You can change your wishes as you move through this process, and nothing is final until you sign consents.
Our job is to help him understand adoption and involve him in this decision, if possible. There are often situations where the birth father is unknown, or it’s complicated, and that is why we have an attorney help us navigate his rights and protect yours.
How often do I see or talk to my child if I choose adoption?
We talk with you about your desires before placement, and we include that level of openness in the search for a family who is also open to providing the level of openness you seek. At placement, you and the adoptive parents sign a Post Adoption Contact Agreement which details your agreement for how often and in what way you will stay in contact. This agreement includes pictures, letters, texts, video calls or phone calls. In Pennsylvania you have the option to file this in court and make it legally enforceable. This means that if some part of the agreement is not upheld, the offended party has the opportunity to take it to court to solve if it cannot be satisfactorily settled with agency supporting as a mediary. View this PDF for more information about Post Adoption Contact Agreements.
How do I communicate with the family/my child?
This also depends on what is decided in the Post Adoption Contact Agreement and is individualized based on the comfort levels of both families. You can communicate directly to one another and exchange personal information, you can go through the agency who will facilitate this arrangement for you, or you can go through an outside party to communicate. This will be discussed at length and included in your agreement.
Financial support?
Legally in Pennsylvania, hopeful adoptive families are not permitted to pay for any expenses for the expectant parents related to the pregnancy or the adoption with the exception of legal or medical. We will assist you with getting Medicaid if you do not already have it and qualify. If you have private insurance and services rendered throughout pregnancy are not covered, the adoptive family covers those expenses. Unfortunately we cannot provide financial support in the form of rent, groceries, bills, etc. Should you ultimately decide to parent, you are under NO obligation to pay back any expenses or support offered to you through this process with Absolute Love or a waiting family.
What about legal representation?
You are not required to have your own attorney, but you are encouraged to. The agency covers the cost of any expenses related to your legal counsel. Best practice is that you at least consult with an attorney to know your rights and options, and it should be an attorney separate from the attorney the family is using.