Birth Mother Blog

Celebrating Mother’s Day and Birth Mother’s Day!

Celebrating Mother’s Day and Birth Mother’s Day!

By Isabella Chichioco

Many women who face an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy wonder whether they should place their newborn for adoption. Although adoption is a lot more common, the process can be overwhelming trying to do it on your own. At the Adoption Choices of Missouriwe are dedicated to helping you find the resources you need to have a successful adoption journey. Whether you adopt or give birth to a child, you become a mother once you start taking care of your baby. So let’s start by celebrating Mother’s Day and Birth Mother’s Day!

Being a mother is no easy feat. We hope you all realize how appreciated you are by your family and child. Whether your child is related to you biologically, all mothers deserve a special day. It is a day to be recognized and rewarded for all their love and dedication to their child. Moreover, mothers who give their baby up for adoption should also be recognized, which society has not done until recently. 

Appreciating all kinds of Mothers

With Mother’s Day coming right around the corner, it is important to reflect and be grateful to all mothers. Although most people usually just think of mothers who have biological kids at first, there are also different kinds of mothers. There are three main types: expectant mothers, birth mothers, and adoptive mothers. These mothers are of equal importance, and not one is more “mother-like” or better than the other. 

As the name suggests, expectant mothers refer to women who are currently pregnant and expecting a baby. Birth mothers are women who have given birth to a child that another family has adopted. Lastly, adoptive mothers are women who have an adopted child and are not related biologically.

Celebrating Mother’s Day and Birth Mother’s Day, with Different Kinds of Mothers

There are two Mother’s Days to celebrate the different kinds of mothers. Mother’s Day on May 8th is a celebration to honor all kinds of mothers. National Birth Mother’s Day occurs the Saturday before the previously mentioned holiday. Specifically to honor the mothers who have given birth to an adopted child. Established by birth mothers in Seattle as a way to cope, recognize, and bring awareness to this topic. 

National Birth Mother’s Day allows the adoptive child and family to honor birth mothers. Creating a special and unique day that has not been provided until recently. Some simple way you can honor National Birth Mother’s Day is by treating it as equally important as Mother’s Day on May 9th. Sending flowers, spending time over lunch, or simply just making a phone call can mean a lot to birth mothers, especially when they do not see their adoptive kids all the time.

The Adoption Process with Adoption Choices of Missouri

Overall, National Birth Mother’s Day and Mother’s Day are coming up on May 8th and 9th. To prepare for this annual occasion, honor all kinds of Mothers a little bit more than usual! Simply reaching out to your mother can make a huge difference since it can be very easy for a mother to feel unnoticed or unappreciated.

To learn more about what mothers do and adoption in general, it is important to find a community that can help support you throughout this tough but extremely rewarding process. At the Adoption Choices of Missouri, we hope to lessen your worries over adoption by giving you any resources you might find yourself needing.

To learn more about our adoption agencies near you and what we do,  Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond. Call us toll-free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri call or text us at 816-527-9800

Birth Mother Blog

Adoption Services in Missouri 

Adoption Services in Missouri 

By Isabella Chichioco

Many women who face unplanned pregnancies often find themselves lost on what options they have. They can either terminate their pregnancy, decide to keep their baby, or place their baby up for adoption. Choosing what to do is not easy for anyone, and it is tough to make this decision on your own. We at the Adoption Choices of Missouri want to let you know that you are by no means alone at any part of this process. If you have any questions regarding how to adopt or how the adoption process works. We have many resources and specialists available to help you!

What does it Mean to Place my Baby up for Adoption?

When considering adoption, there are many outdated adoption terminologies that are used. Many people often say “giving up your baby for adoption” instead of “placing your baby up for adoption.” While these two sayings mean the same thing figuratively, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri try to refrain from using the former terminology. Placing your baby up for adoption in no way means that you are giving up your child. If you are still unsure about the difference, we have more articles available on our website.

Financial Resources Available for Adoption in Missouri

We often get asked if women get paid for placing their baby up for adoption. While you do not get paid, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri have financial resources to assist you with any pregnancy-related expenses. 

Although every state is different, adoptive parents can provide you with any financial assistance you may need during your pregnancy. Your adoptive counselor will also work with you to determine which living and pregnancy expenses will be covered. Although the amount of financial assistance mostly depends on your specific situation and circumstance, we will try our best to accommodate any needs you may have.

Counseling Support for Choosing Adoption in Missouri

Figuring out what steps to take during pregnancy is physically and mentally exhausting. It can be very easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed when facing an unplanned pregnancy, which is why we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri are here to help you in any way we can. At our agency, we offer free birth mother counseling sessions to talk about any worries or concerns you may have. Everything said during these sessions is entirely confidential to completely respect your privacy. If you decide on adoption, your birth parent counselor will do their best to find the best fit caseworker to help you with the adoption process.

Need More Advice? Hear from Birth Mothers Firsthand?

Adoption is always hard to discuss. Especially when not many people around you have gone through this process or even know what adoption is. However, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri understand how important it is to be able to talk to people who understand what you are going through, which is why we try our best to give you any information or resources that will help you throughout your pregnancy. For instance, we have many birth mother blogs and birth mother FAQs to remind you that you are never alone. 

The Adoption Process with Adoption Choices of Missouri

It is essential to find a community to help support you throughout this challenging but extremely rewarding process when considering adoption. At the Adoption Choices of Missouri, we hope to lessen your worries over adoption by giving you any resources you might find yourself needing. To learn more about our agency and what we do,  Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond.

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

Birth Mother Blog

Considering Adoption but don’t know Where to Start? Start Here with Adoption Choices of Missouri!

Considering Adoption but don’t know Where to Start? Start Here with Adoption Choices of Missouri!

By Isabella Chichioco

Many women who face an unplanned or unexpected pregnancy consider whether placing up their baby for adoption is a good option for them. Although adoption in Missouri is a lot more common today than before, the process is still challenging and can be overwhelming trying to do it on your own. However, if you want to or even just thinking about adoption, we are here to help and guide you through the process! At the Adoption Choices of Missouriwe have many resources and counselors available to help you with the adoption process, from finding an adoptive family to giving financial and emotional support.

Simplified: The Adoption Process in Missouri when Considering Adoption

If you are considering adoption in Missouri, it is essential to know how the adoption process generally works to ensure that your needs and priorities as a birth parent are met. We see the adoption process can seem overwhelming, so we have simplified the adoption process into six steps! Listed below is everything that occurs during the adoption process.

  1. Contact Adoption Choices of Kansas and Missouri via phone, email, or our contact form
  2. Schedule an initial meeting with one of our birth parent counselors
  3. Create your adoption plan with help from your assigned birth parent counselor
  4. Review and choose an adoptive family
  5. Consolidate hospital plans to prepare for your due date
  6. Work with an adoptive family and counselor to figure out your post-placement goals.

Fundamentals of an Adoption Plan in Missouri

Now that you have a general overview and understanding of the adoption process, we can move on to specifics about what adoption means in Missouri. Adoption Choices of Missouri is a licensed adoption agency in Missouri that can assist you with resources including but not limited to financial assistance, access to medicare, safe housing, shelter, and professional counseling. If you need any other support, we are very accommodating and will make sure to find the proper steps to take that benefit both you and your baby. We have local adoption agencies all over the state of Missouri, so location and commute will not be an issue.

Understanding the Different Types of Adoption

A considerable part of an adoption plan is determined by what type of adoption you ultimately decide. There are generally three types of adoption: open adoption, closed adoption, and semi-open adoption. No kind of adoption is better than the other, as it depends on your circumstances and preferences. In an open adoption, birth parents and adoptive parents communicate regularly and share their personal information. Open adoptions are a good option for birth mothers if they want to keep a relationship with their child but do not feel confident or cannot keep their baby. There is no requirement in open adoptions regarding how often birth mothers and adoptive parents communicate, as this decision is entirely up to both parties. Adoption Choices of Missouri generally recommends open adoptions if you cannot decide since it provides you with the most options both during pregnancy and post-placement. 

If you like the idea of some form of contact with your child and adoptive family but feel like an open adoption is too demanding, semi-open adoptions are a good alternative. In semi-open adoptions, birth mothers and adoptive parents share some information while maintaining privacy. Unlike an open adoption, birth parents and adoptive parents do not share all private information, such as last names to respect the birth mother’s choice. Semi-open adoptions are significant if you want some contact with your adoptive family and child post-placement but want to keep your privacy for some closure.

In contrast to open and semi-open adoptions, closed adoptions are where adoptive parents and the birth mother have no communication directly with each other. Instead, any vital information is usually taken care of with the birth parent counselors. Although closed adoptions are rare nowadays, it is still a good option if you want to move on with your life and gain full closure after birth.

All these types of adoptions are good options, so it is essential to think about how much openness and communication you would like to have with your respective adoptive family and child. Regardless of which adoption you ultimately decide on, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri are here to support you throughout the whole adoption process.

Adoption Resources and Services when Considering Adoption

The adoption process has a lot of steps and can be very stressful at times, which is what we are here for! Adoption Choices of Missouri serves birth parents statewide and beyond. Please call us or text us to learn more about our adoption resources and services! Call us toll-free at 877-903-4488 or, in Missouri, call or text us at 816-527-9800. 

Birth Mother Blog

Adoption Post-Placement Services in Missouri

Adoption Post-Placement Services in Missouri

By Isabella Chichioco

Many birth mothers who face unexpected or unplanned pregnancies choose to place their baby up for adoption rather than terminate their pregnancy or raise it on their own. Adoption is a great option to look into, especially if you feel not ready to start a family independently. We at the Adoption Choices of Missouri have many resources available to help you through this process– from choosing a local adoption agency, to selecting the type of adoption, to post-placement plans after birth.

The Missouri Adoption Process in a Nutshell

Once you have decided to place your baby up for adoption, there are a series of steps that an adoption agency in Missouri helps you with. At the Adoption Choices of Missouri, we have come up with six general steps in an adoption plan that happen in the adoption process.

Step 1: Contact Adoption Choices of Missouri

Contact us at the Adoption Choices of Missouri! Our contact information can be found on our website and at the bottom of this article. We also have a contact form for any other questions or concerns you may have. After the initial contact, we will reach out to you and set up an initial meeting to get to know you better. Every birth parent has unique and different circumstances, so this appointment is designed to understand your specific needs so we can make the adoption plan that is the best fit for you and your priorities.

Step 2: Create an Adoption Plan

You are ready to start making your adoption plan with your respective birth parent counselor. Your adoption plan will include making decisions necessary for adoption and figuring out a financial budget. Your birth parent counselor will also help you find a doctor to begin prenatal care.

Step 3: Choosing an Adoptive Family

The next big step is finding and choosing an adoptive family for your future child. Your birth parent counselor will curate a list of adoptive parents best suited for your preferences. Once you find a match, you will receive financial assistance and a place to live. The amount of communication between you and your adoptive family depends on the type of adoption you choose, so it is essential to pick the adoption type that best aligns with your idea of openness.

After these steps, you are ready to finalize your birth date with your respective hospital. As a birth mother, you have complete control over who is in your room during labor.

Now that the adoption process is complete, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri will provide you with any post-placement support you may need during this time. We will also be there to support you as you decide how much communication you would like to have with the adoptive family after birth.

What Happens After Birth? How does an Adoption Agency Help Me After Birth?

You might be wondering what happens after birth. Post-placement plans vary depending on the type of adoption you choose. In closed and semi-open adoptions, there usually are not any post-placement plans to work with since you typically do not remain in contact with the birth family. However, if you need post-placement care, we at the Adoption Choices of Missouri have many resources available to help you.

To be more specific, we will still be there to help you financially and personally post-placement. You and your adoptive family will figure out which communication method works best for you, whether that is through video call or email. Any expenses will be covered for the first six weeks after delivery.

We offer counseling and emotional support if you find yourself needing it during post-placement. Birth mothers after labor often have a hard time adjusting back to normal, and we are just a phone call away to help you in any way you need mentally.

Another way the Adoption Choices of Missouri helps post-placement is with last-minute hospital adoption. It is not uncommon for birth mothers to decide at the last minute that they would like to place their baby up for adoption. We are here to help you no matter what you choose. Even though it is last minute, you will still have complete control of your adoption plan.

Post-Placement Services in Missouri

Adoption is not the easiest process to complete on your own, so adoption agencies are here to help you every step of the way. If you are in Missouri and need help finding adoption agencies, look no further! 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