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“A birthmother puts the needs of her child above the wants of her heart.” – Skye Hardwick
When a mother places her baby for adoption, she is making a brave and selfless decision. She is putting her baby’s needs first by finding them a loving and stable home. In Massachusetts, it is never too late to make an adoption plan for your baby. You can begin the baby adoption process while you are pregnant, in the hospital after birth, or after you return home with your baby.
If you are looking to learn more about infant adoption (commonly called baby adoption) in Massachusetts, you have come to the right place.
No matter where you live in Massachusetts, you can find support through a licensed adoption agency. An experienced, reputable organization, such as Adoptions With Love, can help guide you through the adoption journey. AWL can offer you supportive services – at no cost to you –with the respect and compassion you deserve.
In fact, finding an adoption agency is the first step required to place a baby for adoption in Massachusetts. Keep reading to learn more.
8-Step Baby Adoption Process in Massachusetts
- Find a Local Adoption Agency.
To place a baby for adoption in Massachusetts, you must work with a locally licensed adoption agency. It is important to find a reputable, compassionate agency that you trust. You can find adoption agencies in your area by searching online or asking for references from your healthcare provider. However, it is important to get to know these adoption agencies.
Take time to explore their websites and social media platforms to get a better sense of what type of adoption agency you may be choosing. There are several types of adoption agencies in Massachusetts, but the best adoption agencies will offer you supportive services for free—before, during, and after the adoption is finalized.
Adoptions With Love, for example, offers expectant/birth mothers who choose adoption the following:
- Counseling services. These are available before and after the adoption is complete, to help educate you on your options, guide you through the process, navigate relationships, and cope with difficult feelings before and after birth.
- Legal assistance. Our team of adoption attorneys specialize in Massachusetts infant adoptions and will make sure you are informed of your rights as an expectant/birth parent.
- Medical coverage. We can help you find a doctor or midwife with whom you feel comfortable, and cover all uninsured appointments, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, recovery, and postpartum check-up(s).
- Financial assistance. We can assist with utilities, phone bills, and maternity clothes, as needed.
- Housing assistance. We can pay a deposit and several months of rent, if needed.
- Adoption plan design. We can help you find the right adoptive family and custom design your post adoption placement agreement.
- Ongoing contact and support. If you choose to have an open, semi-open adoption, or closed adoption. If you wish to have the adoption agency involved in communications with the adoptive family, we can serve as the liaison. If you choose a closed adoption, we will keep letters and photos on file for you, should you ever wish to see updates of your child over the years.
- Choose an Adoptive Family in Massachusetts.
Choosing to work with an open adoption agency, such as Adoptions With Love, means having the power to choose your baby’s adoptive family. We will give you adoptive family profiles to browse, where will can find photos, letters, and background stories about the individual or couple looking to adopt. We can also help you collect any additional information you might need, or would like to have, about a potential adoptive family.
- Meet the Adoptive Parent(s), If You Wish.
Before – or after – making your decision, you can choose to meet the adoptive family. You can speak with them over the phone, have a virtual chat with them, or even meet them in person, if you wish. You can decide on any arrangement that makes you most comfortable, and your adoption specialist can be there to help with this process.
- Design an Adoption Plan That Meets Your Needs.
Once you have found an adoptive family for your baby in Massachusetts, you can consider the type of adoption plan you want. There are three basic types of adoptions:
- Open adoption
- Semi-open adoption
- Closed adoption
Most adoptions today are open, meaning there is communication between the two families (you and the adoptive family). Children in open adoptions report having more positive feelings about their adoption, because they have knowledge of their birth parent(s). Adoptive families appreciate having ongoing communication with their child’s birth parent, too. They can get information about their child’s background and help their child form a better sense of self-identity.
There are many benefits of open adoption for birth mothers. Birth mothers take comfort in the fact that they are not cut off from their child’s life, and can continue to receive updates, photos, and information about their child as they grow. At Adoptions With Love, every prospective adoptive family agrees to at least a semi-open adoption, sharing photos and updates of their child over the years.
If you feel that a closed adoption is the best path for you, that is okay, too. Adoptions With Love will respect any type of adoption plan you choose. This is your decision. We are here for you.
- Prepare for Birth.
If you have not given birth already, the next step in the planning process is to prepare for your delivery. You can create a plan for your experience at the hospital. Consider the following to help you make a hospital plan:
- Do I want the adoptive parents in the delivery room?
- Who should hold the baby first?
- Do I want special time alone with the baby?
- Would I be more comfortable in a separate recovery room?
- Will I want to see the baby with the adoptive family and their relatives?
Your adoption counselor can help you create a birth plan that makes you most comfortable.
- Sign the Paperwork for Adoption.
Legally, birth parents in Massachusetts cannot sign consent to an adoption until four days after the baby’s birth. This gives you, the birth mother, time with your baby (if you want it) and time to finalize your decision.
Adoption laws vary by state. It is required to work with a Massachusetts adoption agency that is specifically trained in the MA adoption laws and regulations.
Adoptions With Love has a team of highly trained adoption professionals who have facilitated thousands of baby adoptions in Massachusetts. They will work diligently to make sure you understand your rights as a birth parent.
- Continue counseling services.
Adoption can stir many emotions. It is important to continue counseling services after the paperwork is signed and the adoption is finalized. You may return home and feel like you are experiencing grief and loss. This is normal. Most birth mothers go through this stage after childbirth. At Adoptions With Love, we understand that, while adoption is a positive choice, it is also a complicated journey for birth mothers. We know that you need support before and after adoption. We offer counseling services – at no charge – for up to one year after birth. We also have an ongoing birth mother support group that you can join.
- Focus on the Next Chapter.
As you continue to recover from the birth – physically and emotionally – you can begin to think about your future. This is an exciting step. One of the many benefits of adoption for birth mothers is having the ability to continue pursuing personal and professional goals. You can do this knowing that your child is safe, healthy, and loved. This is when many birth mothers start to feel that, instead of the adoption being “the end” of something, it is only the beginning.
You can also rest assured that your adoption agency will be there for you after the adoption. At Adoptions With Love, we can continue to assist with ongoing communication with your baby’s family. We can also help adjust the adoption plan over the years, as needed.
Learn More About Adoption in Massachusetts
Each year, half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. For those who are not able to parent, adoption is a positive choice. It is a brave, selfless, and loving decision. Only you can decide what is right for your future and your baby. An adoption agency can be an important resource to support and educate you along the way.
Adoptions With Love can help guide you through the adoption process in Massachusetts, no matter whether you are pregnant or have already given birth. Reach out to us any time of day, any day of the week. We can help you make an adoption plan for your baby. Call us at 800-722-7731, text us confidentially at 617-777-0072, or contact us online.