What are the Levels of Openness in an Adoption

By Rachel Smith

Many might be familiar with how adoption works. A birth mother puts their baby up for adoption, and an adoptive family takes the child under their wing. However, are many aware of the types of adoption? If you are pregnant and considering adoption and can’t take care of your baby, these are important considerations. The types of adoption are crucial aspects of your adoption plan, and they all play different roles. With private agencies like Adoption Choices of Missouri, birth parents can choose which of the three best suits them.

The agency offers pregnant adoption help and, as the name suggests, provides plenty of choices. Choosing a type of adoption helps birthmothers match with suitable adoptive families, keeping both parties on the same page. The private adoption agencies in Missouri encourage birthmothers to keep their best interests in mind and select carefully. Need to learn more? Here are the three types of adoption to choose from.

Open Adoptions

Giving up your baby for adoption doesn’t have to be the end. Open adoptions allow for the opposite, a new beginning. This type of adoption lets the adoptive family and biological family communicate directly. Identifying information is shared between the two parties, including names, contact information, medical history, and location. This option is great for birth parents who want a close relationship with their child despite their inability to provide. 

As the name implies, Open adoptions are “open.” Birth and adoptive families can coordinate how often the two parties communicate–virtually or in person–and how updated information is sent. For example, if consented by both parties, birth parents could meet with the adoptive family yearly and receive photos monthly. Birth families and adoptive families can select locations to meet and personally provide updated information. 

In addition, this improved relationship between the two parties aids the adoptee. As the adoptee grows, learning more about their background becomes less of a stressor. The families can create a support network suitable for the adoptee. Any plan that both parties agree to is up for grabs. The only limitation is the legal guardianship of the adoptive family over the adoptee. This applies to adoptions in Missouri and American adoptions in general. If you want to maintain a close relationship or are unsure, the flexibility of open adoptions is perfect.

Semi-Open Adoptions 

Some birth parents adopt out their baby because they can’t provide adequate time and care. For these parents, the flexibility to check in with their child without neglecting other life factors may best suit them. Semi-Open adoptions involve limited communication between the birth mother and the adoptive family. This exchange of information is done by the Adoption Choices of Missouri agency near you. Only necessary information–first name, general location, and medical history–is shared. Any other form of communication is done with the agency as a medium. This includes the delivery of letters, cards, and photographs. 

Semi-Open adoptions are also a great decision. They allow the birth parents and adoptive parents to maintain separate lives, only interacting when necessary. The birth parents and adoptive parents can coordinate meetings through the adoption agencies near them. They can be frequent or rare, depending on the preference of both parties. Semi-open adoptions also allow birth mothers to interact with their children without needing to contact the adoptive family. If you wish to retain a relationship with your child, that is possible. But it is also possible to live independently. 

Closed Adoptions 

Closed Adoptions are rare but still a possibility. This type facilitates zero communication between the birth mother and birth parents. Once the adoption process is over, both families live completely independent lives. No information is shared other than the medical history.

This is great for birth mothers who might want to hide their birth because of factors like an unplanned pregnancy. Birth parents can completely move on, and adoptive families can work as well. However, when the adoptee turns eighteen, adoption files may be opened, which could impact a birth parent’s privacy. 

Picking the Right Type of Adoption for You

As a birth mother, picking the right level of openness in adoption that you are comfortable with is a very important part of the adoption process. The selection promotes comfort, ensuring that the interests of both the birth and adoptive families are aligned. Without aligning these interests, it would be harder to facilitate a close relationship or maintain no relationship with your child.

Though there are three general types, the possibilities and outcomes in each are endless. It is the birth mother’s choice and Adoption Choices of Missouri’s support. By selecting an adoption type, your decision is protected by the adoptive families that feel similarly. Contact a Missouri adoption agency near you to create your adoption plan and find a suitable type of adoption.

Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond. Please call us or text us to learn more! Call us toll-free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri, call or text us at 816-527-9800