Adopting a Newborn Baby: Your Questions, Answered

For many families, raising a child is a beautiful part of the life experience. For many parents facing fertility issues, adoption is the best way to grow their family. Whether you have struggled with infertility problems, are single or in a same-gender relationship, or simply wish to fulfill a lifelong dream of adopting a child, you may be considering this path.

If you wish to adopt a newborn baby, you likely have many questions about the process. Adopting a baby is a big decision. It is also an emotional journey that, at times, can be complicated to navigate. Some of your questions may include:

• Who can help us adopt a newborn?
• How long does it take to adopt a baby?
• How do we go through the process?

Adoptions With Love is a private adoption agency with over 34 years of expert experience – both helping expectant/birth mothers find loving homes for their babies, and helping families fulfill their dreams of parenthood. In this guide, we will answer the most common questions that families have about newborn baby adoption.

Newborn Baby Adoption, Explained

You may be wondering what newborn adoption is, and how it differs from other types of adoption. Generally speaking, newborn baby adoption refers to the private adoption of an infant in the United States, who is 6-months-old or younger. A newborn adoption often happens right at a hospital, shortly after the child is born.

Newborn adoption is also sometimes referred to as “infant adoption,” “domestic adoption,” and “private adoption.” These phrases all have different meanings, but are commonly used to describe the same outcome: Adopting a baby and raising him or her right from birth.

Of course, newborn baby adoption is not the only way that families can adopt. There is also foster care adoption, wherein a family cares for a child from the state foster care system, and eventually adopts. Many children awaiting adoption in foster care are older, which is an important consideration for families. If you are looking for a newborn to adopt and raise, foster care adoption may not be the right path for you. While foster care adoption is a noble and beautiful path in its own rite, it can also present its own challenges. Often newborns placed in a foster home are then returned to the birth parents or adopted by another family member.

Another type of adoption that you may hear about is international adoption. As the name suggests, international adoption involves the adoption of a child from another country. This is another way to possibly adopt a newborn baby, however, it is becoming less popular choice among adoptive families in the U.S. International politics and high costs are two of the most cited reasons for the decline.

Foster care adoption and international adoption both have their benefits and can be very positive choices for many adoptive families. If you are looking to adopt a newborn baby, however, you may wish to pursue a domestic adoption through a private adoption agency.

How to Adopt a Newborn Baby

Just as no two children are alike, each newborn adoption is unique and special in its own way. There are, however, some big steps that every hopeful adoptive family must take to bring their baby home.

The first place to start is with a trustworthy and experienced adoption agency. Adoptions With Love is a reputable, private, domestic, nonprofit adoption agency that has been working with birth and adoptive families since 1986. The majority of children placed for adoption through Adoptions With Love are with families in Massachusetts. , We work with expectant/birth mothers in every state across the country. This gives you a bigger pool to potentially match with, and can make the adoption process move quickly. At Adoptions With Love, infants are typically placed within six to eighteen months of completing a home study. We are committed to helping you grow your family. Our full-service adoption agency can fulfill all your adoption needs with one, all-inclusive fee. Some of the services offered include:

• A free consultation to answer your questions
• Adoption application
• Home study process
• Matching with expectant/birthparents
• Child placement
• Prenatal, hospital, and postpartum care for the birth mother
• Adoption Plan
• Legal services to complete the adoption
• Continuous support and communication over the years, including any arrangements involving the birth mother

The home study is a several-months long process for which your adoption social worker can help you prepare. This ensures that your home is a safe, stable, and loving environment for a child. It also helps you get to know your adoption agency and understand what to expect throughout the rest of the adoption process.

Why Adopt a Newborn Baby?

The choice of growing your family through adoption is a deeply personal decision, and one that comes from a variety of reasons. If you are considering adopting a newborn, you may be thinking of some of the perks that are involved, such as:

The dream of having a baby. For many, the idea of holding your child as a baby is just about as intimate as it gets. If you are longing for the chance to raise a child right from birth, adopting a newborn is the obvious decision for you.

Knowing your child’s history from the start. When a child is adopted at an older age, there can be many unknowns, such as their upbringing and root causes of behavioral challenges. When you adopt at birth, you have the chance to know him/her and the biological family’s background.

The chance for an open adoption. Most adoptions today are open. This means there is ongoing communication between the birth mother and the adoptive family. At Adoptions With Love, all prospective adoptive families agree to at least a semi-open adoption. Open adoption allows your child to have a greater sense of self and identity., With access to information like her medical history, family background, and the reasons behind her adoption your child will develop a better understanding of her adoption. Children involved in open adoptions are generally happier than those in closed adoptions.

When preparing to welcome a biological child, a family must prepare for several months (sometimes years) ahead of time. There is the process of conceiving, which can be delayed or even impossible based on fertility. There is the 9 months of gestational waiting time, and there are many fees surrounding medical care. The process of adoption can take several months, but this should not intimidate you in any way. Adoptions With Love is dedicated to helping you complete your family. This several-month-long process will allow us to get to know, get to know your prospective baby’s family, and help determine the best possible match.

If you would like to learn more about adopting a newborn baby, or if you would like to start your own adoption journey in Massachusetts, please do not hesitate to call Adoptions With Love at 1-800-722-7731.