How does the Texas adoption process work?

When you contact Adoption Choices of Texas you are immediately connected with an adoption professional who can guide you through the process. We provide you with ongoing guidance and answer all of your questions while you are making your decisions. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for you. We walk you through the steps of adoption from the initial conversation to the successful match with one of our hopeful adoptive families in a caring and supportive process. It is our goal to make the adoption process a positive experience and help you make the best decision for you and your baby.

Does adoption costs me any money?

There is absolutely no cost to you as the birth mother. Our adoption agency and adoptive parents pay for the legal fees and other expenses as allowed by law. This can include living expenses, legal expenses, medical expenses, and counseling services for you if you would like to utilize a counselor.

Do I get paid for choosing adoption?

You do not get paid for adoption however it is very important that you are safe, stable, and healthy during your pregnancy and after you give birth. We will make sure that your needs for rent, groceries, transportation, phone service, and maternity clothing are all met. Your adoption counselor will make a budget with you and make sure you have what you need to avoid financial stress throughout your pregnancy.

What is the difference between open adoption and closed adoption?

In an open adoption, biological and adoptive parents maintain direct contact with each other. This generally includes an annual visit with the baby through age 18. Direct contact with each other before, during, and after the adoption. Before the child is born, both families work with the agency to design an arrangement for all parties, with everyone’s best interest in mind. This is a beautiful option, but does require careful consideration and planning to ensure everyone’s comfort level.

Though this option isn’t as common as it used to be, there are still biological parents and adoptive parents who prefer, for various reasons, to maintain a closed adoption. This is where there is no contact between families before, during, or after the adoption; no identifying information is shared. The adoptive parents will receive information about the birth mother’s social and medical history so they can be aware of anything that may affect the child’s health now or in the future.

Keep in mind that even in a closed adoption, the child may have questions as he/she grows up and could decide to search for her biological parents on her own.

Another option is a semi-open or semi-closed adoption. A semi-open adoption is usually a first name basis of shared information, with updates shared on the web based service. These are some advantages of a semi-open adoption:

• Flexibility: You can choose the level of contact that works for both families and allow it to change over time. Maybe that means monthly emails; maybe it means one exchange per year.
• Less Pressure: The birth mother can move on with her life without having to schedule visits or feel obligated to maintain a close relationship, but still has the opportunity to find out how the child is doing. Adoptive parents can keep her up-to-date without feeling that there are three or four parents involved in the child’s life. By working through the agency rather than directly with each other, both families maintain a measure of privacy.

How do I choose an adoptive family?

We will provide you with profiles of adoptive families and encourage you to choose your top choices from their profiles. The profiles give you a chance to see how they live and the environment they plan to raise a family in, giving you a glimpse of what family life would be like for your child. Then, we will facilitate a conference call between you and the adoptive family that you choose. After the call, if you and the adoptive family both wish to proceed, then we will help to make the match official! After this, you and the adoptive family can communicate as much as you’d like and however is most comfortable for both of you. It is important to remember that throughout the process you are the one making the decisions and can pick the family that is perfect for your situation.

How are the adoptive families screened?

Every adoptive parent is thoroughly evaluated and has passed a home study with a licensed adoption agency. The home study process includes assessments of their character, marital stability, financial situation, lifestyle, and medical history. FBI background checks and fingerprinting are completed to verify there is no record of criminal activity or child abuse. Their home is also inspected by a social worker to ensure it is a safe environment to raise a child. Following the placement of a child into an adoptive home, the social worker will continue to monitor and supervise the family.

How do I know my child will be loved by an adoptive family?

While their reasons for adopting may vary, families choosing to adopt have made a choice to open their homes – and their hearts – to a child in need of a home. Whether it was due to infertility, pregnancy complications, or adopting in addition to biological children, the road to adoption is not an easy one. The families who make it through have decided that it is all worth it for the chance to welcome a child into their lives. Once they have adopted, they are overjoyed with love for the child as a member of their family. Studies consistently show that adopted children receive the same kind of nurturing love and attention from their adoptive parents that is given to biological children.

Can I choose adoption if I already have kids?

Yes! Many of the women we work with already have children. Situations change and sometimes it is not possible for women to meet the legal and moral responsibilities of parenting an additional child. Choosing to place a child for adoption can be a great act of love for that child and your whole family.

Does the birth father have to be involved or agree with the adoption?

The law varies from state to state and our adoption professionals will help you get the legal answers you need. Ideally the birth father is part of the process and gives consent to the adoption. This is not always possible though. If the identity of the father is not known, if he has disappeared, or if he is violent then there are other options, as well. It is up to the lawyers working on the adoption to make sure that the law is followed for the state(s) involved.

If you are considering adoption and are concerned about not getting the birth father’s consent, the best thing you can do is speak with one of our adoption experts. We will help you find out what kind of involvement by the father, if any, is required by law.

When is the adoption complete?

For the adoption to be complete a few things need to happen. First, the baby has to be born. Then, the birth parent has to give consent to the adoption. Lastly, the time period during which the birth parent can still change their mind has to have passed. This is sometimes called the “revocation period” and how long it lasts is different state to state. For the birth parents, once this paperwork is signed the adoption is final. For the adoptive families, this paperwork must go through the courts for a final stamp of approval – which usually involves a court date/hearing (the birth parents do NOT have to be present) and a judge will finalize the adoption.

Choosing Adoption with a Texas Adoption Agency

As an expectant woman or birth parent, to learn more about adoption, contact Adoption Choices of Texas. You can call us at 945-444-0333, text us at 945-444-0333, or email us here. If you are hoping to adopt, please visit us here. We look forward to helping you through your adoption journey!

Adoption Choices of Texas es la única agencia de adopción con servicios completamente en esapñol en el estado de Texas. Si está embarazada y necesita ayuda, llámenos o envíenos un mensaje de texto y uno de nuestros especialistas en adopción podrá ayudarlo. Podemos ayudarte con la adopcion de niños. Para obtener más información sobre el proceso de adopción como una mujer embarazada o una madre biológica, comuníquese con Adoption Choices of Texas. Para español llamar: 888-510-5029