Texas Open Adoption Guide

Open adoption is a loving, thoughtful, and positive choice for expectant/birth mothers and children alike. If you are living in Texas and facing an unplanned pregnancy, or if you have just given birth, know that open adoption is an option for you.

Open adoption means that a birth mother and her child’s adoptive family have a relationship with one another. This relationship can involve a woman choosing the family to adopt her baby, or it can mean ongoing communication with one another over the years. Many expectant/birth mothers in Texas choose open adoption because it brings peace of mind, knowing they are not saying “goodbye” to their child forever. Open adoption can mean the beginning of a beautiful, lifelong bond between a birth mother, her child, and her child’s adoptive parents.

Adoptions With Love has been helping expectant/birth mothers in Texas for decades. Our caring staff works tirelessly to ensure women considering adoption feel respected, supported, and receive the care they deserve. Our services – which are always confidential and free of charge – cover everything you need throughout pregnancy, adoption, and beyond. As an open adoption agency serving Texas, we can offer:

• Free counseling services before and after birth
• Free legal services with attorneys who specialize in Texas adoption laws
• Free medical care, including prenatal and postpartum care and hospital visits
• Financial support as related to pregnancy and recovery
• Free assistance in finding an adoptive family
• A custom-tailored open adoption plan with which you feel comfortable

If you are considering open adoption, you will want to find a Texas adoption professional that can help guide you through the process. You will also want to know what to expect and how open adoptions work in Texas. Read on. In this guide, we will share the information you need about choosing open adoption in Texas.

What Does it Mean to Have an Open Adoption in Texas?

An open adoption is a personalized plan that entails communication between the birth parent(s) and adoptive families. Every open adoption plan is unique. With an open adoption agency, your plan can be customized to meet your individual needs.

For example, you may wish to keep in touch with your child’s adoptive family through regular contact. Or, you may feel better with email exchanges that include an update and a few photos annually. The decision is yours, and your adoption agency can help you determine the open arrangement that works best for you and your child. At Adoptions With Love, every hopeful adoptive family agrees to at least a semi-open adoption. This means that the adoptive family sends photos and letters of their child over the years, that we keep on file at the agency. You, as the birth mother, can access these when you wish.

Adoption Laws in Texas

Adoption laws vary by state. In the great state of Texas, a birth mother cannot sign legal adoption papers until at least 48 hours after the baby is born. This period gives birth mothers a chance to spend some time with their child and make sure they are confident in their decision to move forward with the adoption.

After the first 48 hours after birth has passed, the birth mother has the freedom to sign a relinquishment of parental rights document. This releases her of all parental rights, and, after that document is signed, the adoptive family receives parental rights.

In Texas, once the relinquishment document is signed, it is irrevocable. In other words: There is no turning back. With this in mind, adoption agencies encourage birth mothers to take as much time as they need before making their decision. Adoption is a lifelong choice, and you want to be sure that you are 100% certain it is the right path for you and your child before signing any official documents. Remember that this does not need to mean goodbye. Open adoption will enable you to stay in touch with your child’s family – and your child – over the years.

At Adoptions With Love, our attorneys are well-versed with the open adoption laws in Texas and will work to ensure your adoption goes smoothly and is in accordance with both your needs and the law.

The Benefits of Open Adoption in Texas

Open adoption in Texas is very common today. It is a choice that offers benefits to birth mothers, adoptive families, and – most importantly – children.

Nationwide, 95 percent of children in open adoptions report having positive feelings about their adoption. It could be because they are not in the dark about their history and background. Adoptive families are encouraged to share age-appropriate information with their children right from birth. Some children have even met their birth mothers with pre-arranged, in-person reunions between birth and adoptive families.

Open adoption offers freedom for birth mothers because it allows them to continue to work on their own personal and professional goals without having to take on parenting. It also gives them the freedom to pursue their goals while knowing their child is growing up in a safe, loving and stable home. They may cope with feelings of loss and grief, but also have great peace of mind knowing that they can check-in on how their child is doing over the years.

Working with an Open Adoption Agency

Choosing to work with an open adoption agency means having options, support, and free services that help you through the pregnancy and adoption journey.

Through an open adoption professional, you have the power to:

• Personally select the adoptive family for your child. Most expectant/birthmothers report that, once they find the right family, they feel great peace of mind.
• Choose whether to meet/speak with the adoptive family before birth, and choose the time and location.
• Decide whether to have an open, semi-open, or closed adoption and decide the form and frequency of communication with which you feel comfortable.
• Continue the free counseling services offered by Adoptions With Love after birth.
• Seek a change in the open adoption plan agreement, if needed.

At Adoptions With Love, you are in charge of your adoption plan. With the help of your adoption specialist, you can create an open adoption plan that makes you feel comfortable and meets your needs. If you decide that you do not wish to continue to have direct contact with your child’s adoptive family, that is okay, too. Adoptions With Love keeps photos and letters on file, in case a birth mother changes her mind later. Expectant/birth mothers are never pressured, judged, or criticized for any of their adoption plan decisions. We understand that this is an incredibly emotional and challenging time, and we offer our support, respect, and guidance before birth and throughout the many years following the adoption.

If and when you are ready to work with an open adoption agency that has a long record of caring and compassion, and that has been serving Texas for more than 35 years, contact Adoptions With Love. You may reach us by text (SMS) at 617-777-0072, by phone at 1-800-722-7731, or by message online. Our staff is here to answer your call any time of day or night, any day of the week. Our conversations are always confidential.