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Are you living in Virginia and considering making an open adoption plan for your baby? Open adoption is a positive choice for expectant/birth mothers who hope to have a relationship with their child and the adoptive family after placement. Because of open adoption, you do not need to say “goodbye” forever—this brings many women peace of mind. Open adoption enables you to choose the adoptive parents for your child and maintain an ongoing relationship with the family if you wish. If you are considering open adoption in Virginia, you will need to work with an open adoption agency or professional that is familiar with the state’s laws.
Adoptions With Love specializes in providing loving, thoughtful, and safe adoption plans for expectant/birth parents and their children. Our dedicated staff works diligently nationwide to ensure women considering this path are met with compassion, respect, and care. We offer a full team of counselors, attorneys, and adoption professionals in Virginia who are ready to help you. Our services are completely confidential and always free of charge to expectant/birth mothers. When you work with Adoptions With Love, you have the option to choose a closed adoption, open adoption, or semi-open adoption that falls somewhere in between.
What Does it Mean to Have an Open Adoption in Virginia?
Open adoption can take on many different meanings and can look different for every family. There is no one, “right” way to have an open adoption. To put it simply, open adoption means there is communication between birth parents and adoptive families. This communication can happen before the adoption is finalized and continues for a lifetime. The form and frequency with which the two parties stay in touch can vary.
When you work with an open adoption agency (like Adoptions With Love), you can customize an open adoption plan that works best for you. For example, if you would like to receive emails with photos and updates once a year, that can be arranged. That is part of the program at Adoptions With Love. Once you have established a connection with the adoptive family – if you choose to meet them – you may decide that you would like to stay in touch with them over phone calls or text messages. Contact on line is also popular, so you may choose to follow each other through a private photo file. Your adoption counselor can help you decide what makes you comfortable and can facilitate the arrangement before putting it in an open adoption contract.
The Benefits of Open Adoption in Virginia
Open adoption in Virginia is very common today, because of the benefits it offers to birth mothers, adoptive parents, and most of all, to children.
Many birth mothers today are open about expressing how much open adoption means to them. Diana, a new birth mom who placed her child with adoption, had this to say about her child’s adoptive parents:
“I know that in the end, everything will work out for the best. I also thank God every day that there are people out there who care so much. Without these wonderful people, whom I consider my family now, my child would have been in a single-parent household and we would be struggling to get by. I am very proud of the adoptive parents because raising a child is no easy feat.”
The benefits of open adoption can help birth mothers cope and overcome the grief that Diana acknowledged in her letter. Open adoption often provides peace of mind, as you can stay in touch and see that your child is growing up in a safe and stable home and that they are well-cared for, by a family that loves them. As a birth mother, choosing open adoption also means you can continue to work toward your own personal and professional goals, without saying goodbye forever.
For children, open adoption also has many wonderful benefits. It allows them:
- To develop a strong sense of identity
- To build a deeper understanding of their cultural and ethnic heritage
- The chance to connect with any other biological relatives
- An understanding of why they were placed for adoption, which helps their relationships with birth parents down the road
Free Services for Virginia Open Adoptions
Choosing to work with Adoptions With Love means having access to free, in-person sessions with licensed attorneys and experienced counselors specially trained in Virginia adoption. The attorneys assist expectant/birth mothers with important legal requirements and all of these professionals are here to help guide you through this process every step of the way. They can educate you on your rights as a birth mother, listen to your concerns and wishes, and ensure you are comfortable at every stage of this long and emotional journey.
The adoption attorneys and counselors in our Virginia network are chosen not only because of their knowledge and experience, but also because they are compassionate, sensitive, and understanding. At Adoptions With Love, we work tirelessly to provide the emotional support expectant/birth moms need throughout the adoption. If needed, we can also help you with living and maternity related expenses such as rent, utilities, transportation, groceries.
A Flexible Adoption Agency for Your Open Adoption
Working with an open adoption agency means having options. If you choose to work with Adoptions With Love, you can:
- Choose the adoptive family for your child
- Decide when and where to meet the family before and/or after birth
- Determine the form and frequency of ongoing communication for the open adoption
- Choose to maintain a close relationship with your child’s adoptive family
- Continue free counseling services at Adoptions With Love, where you are always a part our family
- Choose to make changes to the open adoption agreement, if needed
At Adoptions With Love, the adoption you design is yours. You are the only one who can make this decision. You can make it with the love and support of Adoptions With Love, but you are never pressured, judged, or criticized for any decision you make. You are in control of this adoption plan. You have a group that is in your corner, that wants to make sure every decision made is one with which you feel comfortable.
It is Never Too Late
Whether you just found out that you are pregnant or you have already given birth, it is never too late to place your baby for adoption in Virginia. At Adoptions With Love, we maintain close relationships with specialists across the state and we can send a professional straight to your door – even in your hospital room. In accordance with Virginia law, you can sign the consent papers as early as three calendar days after birth. You can, of course, take much longer if you feel you need more time. The 3-day rule gives birth mothers some time to begin recovery and meet their child before making a final decision.
Placing your baby for adoption is anything but “giving up.” Making an open adoption plan is a thoughtful, loving, and brave decision. It does not mean saying goodbye forever, as it keeps the window open for a relationship down the road. You deserve to have the support you need during this challenging time, and we are here for you, whatever you need.
If you are looking for an adoption agency with a long record of caring and compassion that has been serving Virginia for 35 years, contact us by text 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.
Open adoption was the greatest decision of my life. His family has become my family and the pictures I get give me not only peace of mind, but also a big smile. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” - Kaitlin