How to Place Your Baby for Adoption in North Carolina

Facing an unexpected pregnancy can be an overwhelming experience. If you are living in North Carolina, one of your available options is adoption. Here, we will share the basic information you need to get started.

1. Choose an adoption agency.

The first step to take when considering adoption is to contact a reputable adoption agency that works with expectant parents in North Carolina. Their knowledge and experience can help guide you through this process.

Placing a baby for adoption is a complex process. Navigating the journey alone is overwhelming. Having a professional service at your fingertips to guide you along the way is important. Look for an experienced, trusted adoption agency that is familiar with North Carolina adoption laws and regulations. Ensure this agency has a caring team that will not pressure you into making a decision, and that will respect any decision you make. In the end, adoption is a deeply personal decision and only you – the expectant/birth mother – know what is best for you and your baby.  A licensed adoption agency can help you through the tricky parts of the adoption process, such as paperwork, court finalization, choosing a family, and counseling through difficult times. Many adoption agencies, like Adoptions With Love, offer an array of free services for birth mothers in North Carolina.

2. Meet with an adoption counselor.

Once you select an adoption agency with which you feel comfortable, you can begin your adoption plan. As an expectant/birth parent, you should meet with a licensed, compassionate adoption social worker that works with your agency of choice. This professional will walk you through your options, educate you on your expectant/birth mother rights, and help you understand what to expect before, during, and after the adoption takes place. Your adoption counselor will also give you the option to design the type of adoption plan you want: an open adoption, semi-open adoption, or closed adoption plan.

3. Choose the adoptive family.

With an open adoption agency working in North Carolina, you have the option to choose an adoptive family for your baby. Your agency will show you the waiting families who best meet your wishes and expectations. If and when you choose an adoptive family, you can speak to them through email, phone, facetime, or meet them in-person. This is completely up to you and your comfort level.

No matter the family you choose, you can rest assured your baby will be placed in a loving, secure home environment. In North Carolina, it is required that all potential adoptive families complete a thorough home study through a licensed adoption agency. Many private adoption agencies today, such as Adoptions With Love, require home studies, as well. With this process, prospective adoptive families are carefully screened and interviewed, and birth parents can have peace of mind knowing their child will be placed in a safe and stable home.

4. Understand North Carolina Adoption Laws

Adoption can be complicated, not just because of the emotional journey, but because of the legal process involved. Each state has its own set of adoption laws. It is invaluable to have access to an adoption attorney that is well-versed in North Carolina adoption laws. Many adoption agencies, like Adoptions With Love, offer free legal services to expectant/birth mothers.

In North Carolina, an expectant/birth mother can consent to adoption at any time after the baby’s birth. Any man whose consent is required can sign consent forms either before or after the child’s birth. This man – whether he is the birth father or not – is someone who:

• Is or was married to the birth mother
• Attempted to marry the birth mother before the baby’s birth
• Has legitimated the child under state law
• Has acknowledged paternity of the child

When you work with a North Carolina adoption agency like Adoptions With Love, you may contact your social worker at any time with questions regarding the adoption.

5. Understand the Adoption Services Available to You

When an expectant/birth mother decides to work with a trustworthy and reputable adoption agency, she reaps the benefits that come with personalized care. The right agency will work with you to create the best possible plan for you and your baby, completely free of pressure, bias, or judgment. We understand that this can be a challenging time, and want to make the process as comfortable as possible. At Adoptions With Love, we help expectant/birth mothers:

• Find the best adoptive family for your baby. If you wish, you may hand-select your child’s adoptive parents. We will provide you with comprehensive information and photo albums of prospective families who are ready to adopt. You can browse through the profiles of these families, who have been carefully screened by Adoptions With Love with background checks and multiple home visits as part of the thorough Home Study process. This ensures that every child being adopted goes to a safe, stable, and loving home. You may also speak with these families before making your decision, either by phone or in-person, and at your convenience. Many of our adoptive families have their profiles on our website, along with a video.
• Help design an adoption plan that works best for you. Most adoptions today are open adoptions. At Adoptions With Love, every hopeful adoptive family agrees to at least a semi-open adoption. This means that there is some ongoing communication between the adoptive family and birth mother. Some birth mothers opt for a closed adoption, and that is okay, too. We support our birth mothers with whichever type of adoption plan makes you most comfortable. These plans may be tweaked over the years to accommodate a growing child and any possible changes deemed necessary. It is important to us that we give birth mothers flexibility.
• Get quality medical care. It is important to take care of your health, especially during and immediately after pregnancy. If you do not have medical care, we will help you find a reputable doctor, whom you can trust.
• Build lifelong relationships. At Adoptions With Love, our expectant/birth mothers are family. We like to stay in touch long after the adoption is complete. If you choose to have an open adoption, you can also build a bond with your child’s adoptive family, if you wish.

 

6. Make a Post-Adoption Plan

If you choose to make an adoption plan in North Carolina, you may want to consider meeting your child’s adoptive family and establishing a plan for communication following your baby’s adoption.  During counseling, the trained social workers at your adoption agency will help you design a post-adoption plan for contact with your child and his or her adoptive family. You may also choose to take advantage of post-placement counseling.

Adoption is an emotional journey and the beginning of several lifelong relationships. Adoptions With Love can help you navigate these new emotions and relationships after your baby’s adoption takes place. As part of your post-adoption plan, for a year after placement, we offer ongoing, confidential counseling services at no cost to you.

We understand that this is an emotional journey. In addition to our North Carolina adoption plan and legal services, we offer expectant/birth mothers free counseling services during pregnancy and long after the adoption is finalized. It takes time to heal from the experience, and we want to guide and support you every step of the way.

For more information about Adoptions With Love in North Carolina, please contact us today. We are available by text (SMS) at 617-777-0072, by phone at 1-800-722-7731, or through our website. Our staff is here to answer your call any time of day or night, any day of the week.