Placing A Baby For Adoption At 16 Weeks Pregnant

Unwanted, unplanned pregnancy, and unexpected pregnancies can happen to anyone at any time. Knowing early on in your pregnancy that you want to place your child for adoption can be a blessing. The Missouri adoption process can take some time, and it’s great to have everything in place prior to giving birth. At Adoption Choices of Missouri, we can offer assistance in planning and finding the right adoptive family. Additionally, we can give you information regarding financial assistance and government programs that can help with medical expenses relating to your pregnancy. 

Missouri Adoption Agencies and Their Roles

Adoption agencies provide a substantial and varied amount of services to pregnant women and birth mothers. In addition, to support during the adoption process, we are a wealth of information! From counseling to financial support to temporary housing, adoption agencies are able to help in all different manners in relation to the adoption process. After placement, adoption agencies can remain as a liaison for communication between yourself and the adoptive family if a semi-open adoption is put in place. Resources for counseling after placement can be found through adoption agencies as well. 

Support during pregnancy, in general, is important for your mental health. If you don’t have support during both pregnancy and the adoption process, it can be particularly hard emotionally. Adoption professionals create a strong framework of support for pregnant women to ensure their emotional and physical health as well as their unborn child’s health. 

The Adoption Process in Missouri

When you begin your adoption in Missouri, you’ll meet with an adoption professional to discuss the various facets of all requirements in Missouri. There are situations where the biological father may have to consent to the adoption, but if he is not in the picture or poses a threat, your adoption professional can help you gather information for a judge to rule it unnecessary. Once the adoption is cleared, you will be able to start formulating your adoption plan.

Adoption plans include the adoptive family, the type of adoption, and the birth plan. Deciding which type of adoption you want typically comes first. There are some families only interested in a specific type, such as closed. By weeding out families that do not match what type of adoption you’re looking for off the bat, it’ll make it easier to hone in on families that meet your requirements. Choosing adoption early on in your pregnancy offers up time for you to really think about what you want your child’s future to look like. As the birth mother, you have complete control over who is going to adopt your baby. 

Adoptive family interviews are conducted via skype, over the phone, or in-person, depending on your comfort. Some families make parent books to help you get a sense of who they are prior to interviews. These books can include photos, letters, family trees, and anything else they feel is personal and important for you to know. This can help give you a visual and tangible picture of what your child’s life may be like with a specific family. 

MO Adoption Plans For Placement

When you create a birth plan, you will be able to decide if you want time with your baby after he or she is born if you want the adoptive family in with you, and any other detail you can think of. Some women choose to spend time with both before giving their child to their adoptive family, and others allow the family to begin care in the hospital. The decision is completely up to you. In Missouri, you legally have to wait thirty days to sign away parental rights even with an adoption plan in place. The adoption agency generally gives the adoptive family custody of the child until the form is finalized. This also gives birth mothers a month to change their minds about the adoption altogether. 

Choosing Adoption In Early Pregnancy

Have you decided to put your baby up for adoption early on in your pregnancy? It’s not too early to start planning. Contact us at Adoption Choices of Missouri for more information and help in planning your adoption. We can offer you a variety of services during and after placement. We’re here to answer any and all questions as best we can! Let us guide you through this complicated time with professionalism, empathy, and care. You want what is best for your child, and we want what is best for both of you. 

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: Amanda