The Adoption Process Step-by-Step

Adoption can seem daunting at first glance, but breaking down the adoption process into steps can help you figure out what you need to do. Although each adoption is unique and shaped by the choices you make, these steps can give you a good idea of where to start and what it can look like for you.

Not only can we help you complete each of these steps, but gives you all the services you need to complete your adoption and grow your family.

Learn more about how to adopt by filling out our online form.

Your Adoption Process [5 Steps]

The process of adopting a baby requires many services to make it happen. As a full-service, national adoption agency, we have everything you need to complete your steps of the adoption process under one roof.

Here are five steps to adopting and growing your family:

Step 1. Contact Us and Get the Support You Deserve

When it comes to the process of adopting a baby, there are other adoption professionals out there, but they can’t give you the support you deserve.

Smaller, local adoption agencies don’t have the same reach or resources as us. Other adoption professionals like consultants and facilitators aren’t licensed. They can promise short wait times and low prices, but they are not always accurate.

The adoption process with us means not only having all the services and expertise you need but benefitting from our firsthand experience too.

Our staff is comprised of birth mothers, adoptees and adoptive families that have been through the process themselves and will put that expertise to work for you.

Working with us means having an adoption specialist by your side for the whole journey; addressing your questions and concerns and making sure your needs are met. Our services mean:

Adoption disruption insurance: Protects your emotional and financial investment.
Shorter average wait times: You deserve the lowest adoption wait times possible.
Video profile services: Offers a birth a mother a deeper look into your lives.
In-house home study services: A required part of the process of adoption, in states we are licensed.
And much more

Step 2. Find the Perfect Adoption Match

We know that no matter how many adoption steps you need to take, you can’t wait to start life with your new family. Family is forever but your adoption process wait doesn’t have to be.

Our short adoption wait time, an average of 12 months, is one of the main reasons why 100% of active families with us complete an adoption.

Marketing directly impacts wait times and we have a larger marketing reach than the next 25 adoption professionals combined. Low marketing means longer waits and maybe not even finding a match.

Unlicensed agencies don’t have a neutral government body monitoring and confirming their services. Going through the process of adoption with our nationally licensed adoption agency means you know that our wait times are vetted and accurate.

Step 3. Get to Know Each Other Before Placement

Once you find a match, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know the birth mother. You could get to know each other through a conference call or even meeting during placement.

"Each time that we would meet, each time that we would talk, we would realize that we were more like each other than we were different,” Sara, a birth mom, recalled. “They were the ones. There wasn’t a doubt about that.”

When it comes to this step in the adoption process, depending on everyone’s comfort with it, ongoing contact can continue through calls, emails, text messages and whatever you both decide on.

Hear more stories about the benefits of open adoption by reaching out to us.

Step 4. Complete the Hospital Stay

This is one of your most important steps to adoption as there are legal requirements to complete it so you can officially grow your family.

The birth mother’s adoption specialist will coordinate with you so everyone is on the same page for her hospital stay and plan.

Once the baby is born and the revocation period has passed, you can take the adoption step of completing the legal paperwork.

After consent from the birth mother has been given and the doctors give the OK, you can take the baby home.

Step 5. Finalize the Adoption and Begin Life with Your New Family

This is another step of the adoption process that makes your adoption official. Finalizing the adoption consists of a legal proceeding to grant you custody of the baby.

Although the adoption process is now complete, your journey is just beginning.

Thanks to open adoption, you can build and maintain a connection with the birth parents. The majority of modern-day adoptions are open to some extent. This benefits your baby and you, because it can lead to:

Providing important medical history
Avoiding your child struggling with identity issues
Allowing your child to get answers to their questions
And more

You deserve a family and a professional that can walk you through how to adopt with honest and accurate information. Use this form to take the first step of the adoption process and grow your family.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.

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