How to Choose an Adoption Agency in Missouri
Choosing the right type of adoption can be a long and overwhelming process. There’s a huge misconception that when you, as the birth mother, decide to place your child up for adoption, the baby is taken away immediately after birth, and that’s all that happens. However, it’s important to acknowledge that there are many different types of agencies, types of adoptions, and involvement during the process that differs for each individual. Adoption Choices of Missouri wants expecting mothers who are considering adoption to have all the knowledge they need to help make decisions less stressful and more comfortable. Here is how to choose an adoption agency in Missouri.
What are the differences for adoption agencies?
Adoption agencies differ in how involved the birth mother will be in the adoption process, what input the birth mother gets, and how a child is placed into an adoptive family. Private adoption also referred to as domestic adoption, is when you are willingly working with a local adoption agency to place your child with an adoptive family. There are smaller details through private adoption, such as open or closed adoption, which changes how involved you will be with the process. The second option is public adoption. This is also commonly known as foster care. Public adoption is when the birth mother is not seen as fit to be a caretaker for a child, and the government will take the child and place them into an adoption setting regardless of the birth mother’s desires. This is commonly due to the birth mother not being stable financially, environmentally, legally, mentally, or physically. There are legalities that follow this option, but most importantly, this is a result of wanting to make sure the baby is in a safe environment and is being properly cared for. The third option is international adoption. This is when the baby is placed for adoption in another country. Often, the adoption process works faster when the baby is placed internationally as opposed to waiting longer to find their family in the states.
What are the different types of adoption?
As stated above, when you choose to go with the private adoption route, as the birth mother, you are able to decide how involved you would like to be in the process through what is called open adoption or closed adoption. In an open adoption scenario, you are able to help decide which family your child is placed with, have contact with the adoptive family, and remain in contact with the child throughout their life. This is a great option if you still wish to be a part of the child’s life and establish a relationship with them but feel you aren’t ready to be a mother. In a closed adoption scenario, you have no contact with the adoptive family, they have no information about you, and you are involved as little as possible. This option is great for women who don’t feel comfortable knowing the adoptive family or having contact with the child for personal reasons.
How can I get adoption support?
The most important thing to know is that support is always available, and you should never feel alone throughout your adoption journey. Adoption Choices of Missouri’s website offers representatives that you can get in contact with at any time to discuss your options. There are counseling, support groups, informative articles, blogs, and testimonial stories accessible to help you feel comfortable and confident in your decisions.
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
Meet the Author: Allie Nowak is in her senior year of undergrad at Illinois State University studying public relations, with a minor in health & wellness coaching. She is extremely passionate about writing, digital content creating, and all things related to lifestyle & wellness. In her free time, she enjoys serving as editor-in-chief and publishing articles for her university’s chapter of Her Campus, the nation’s largest media platform for college women. You can also find her spending time with friends and family, traveling, reading, and walking her two golden doodles. She currently lives in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago where she was born and raised.