ICWA: Placing A Native American Baby For Adoption
Placing a baby for adoption is a hard decision to make. This can be exacerbated when you are placing a child of color for adoption. As a birth mother, wanting your child’s culture and heritage to remain an important part of their life even though you aren’t raising them is a completely valid desire. At Adoption Choices of Missouri, we’re here to help you navigate through this complicated time and provide every resource we can to make your pregnancy and placement run smoothly. We also work in correlation with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to ensure that your child is placed with the right adoptive family. We want all of your needs to be met, especially regarding the proper placement of your child.
How do I Begin The Missouri Adoption Process
Providing a stable network of support during your pregnancy is the number one goal of our adoption agency in Missouri. As the birth mother, you will be able to make all of the decisions at your own discretion. This means the type of adoption, the adoptive family, and how you’d like your birth to proceed. In Missouri, you will have to wait a full forty-eight hours after birth. The process is generally the same unless you have requested to spend time with the baby post-birth.
Adoptive families may help you financially in regards to any pregnancy-related bills. This can include doctor’s visits, maternity clothes, and necessary nutrition. Your adoption professional can also provide you with information about government assistance for pregnant women.
ICWA: Adoption Of Native American Children
One of the great benefits of going through a private adoption agency is your ability to choose the adoptive family. If keeping your child’s culture and heritage is an important aspect in deciding what family is the right fit, put it in your adoption plan and let your adoption professional know. That way the both of you are on the same page when beginning your search for prospective adoptive families.
Choosing an open adoption is another way you can help keep your child’s heritage and culture alive. If you’re able to or want to have communication with your child you can share family history, cultural history, and traditions through letters, phone calls, photos, or in-person meetings. You can also share any of this information with the adoptive family during interviews or general meetings after they are selected.
Semi-open adoptions require all communication to go through a third party and there are no face-to-face meetings. However, you can still send letters and pictures to teach your child about their heritage and culture. This is a great way to teach the adoptive family about it as well. That way your child’s heritage can be celebrated with their adoptive family.
Many families that are open to adopting children of different backgrounds are willing and excited to learn about their adoptive child’s roots. If you want to know more about how prospective adoptive families feel about this subject just ask! This is what screenings and interviews are for. You, as the birth mother, have every right to pass on an adoptive family for any reason. This is about what you want for your child and their future.
Adoption Agencies and Pregnancy
We want to help you through the whole process, not just placement! If you need help finding proper insurance we can help find programs you qualify for or doctors that are within your network. We can also provide information about temporary housing, food assistance, and financial assistance for pregnant women. Don’t be afraid to ask for help during your pregnancy if you need it!
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health for you and your baby. Counseling sessions for birth mothers and pregnant women choosing adoption can be found through your adoption professionals. Sometimes just having someone to talk to and vent can be all you need. Other times we need help processing our emotions and thoughts during stressful times. There’s no shame in reaching out for help.
ICWA: Native American Adoption
Are you planning on putting your Native American child up for adoption? Contact us for more information about adoption, the Indian Child Welfare Act, adoption laws, and anything else you have questions about! We’re here to help you as best we can. Putting a baby up for adoption can be complicated and stressful but you are not alone in this journey.
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.
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