Private Adoption, Independent Adoption, Adoption Attorney

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Many birth parents choose private adoption because they want to actively choose the adoptive parents. This option also allows the baby/child to go directly to the adoptive parents instead of into temporary foster care. For the prospective parents, this option often reduces the wait time. On both sides, a private adoption provides a degree of openness that’s not always provided by an agency. Of course, State laws regulate this form of adoption. Some states require at least one (or more) face to face meetings. Others require the exchange of some amount of identifying information and follow up contact.

There are risks with any adoption; there is no guarantee that the birth parents won’t change their mind. No state allows a birthparent to give a binding consent to an adoption before the birth of the child. In addition, states mandate various minimum waiting periods after the birth before a consent can be signed. States also have varying laws governing whether or not birthparents are permitted to change their minds for a period of time after giving consent. Some states make the consent immediately irrevocable upon signing; others allow birthparents to revoke consent for a short period, such as 15 to 30 days from the date of signing.

With this option, you will definitely want to hire an adoption attorney who has experience with the complex adoption laws. Contact and interview attorneys to find one that works well with both your personality and your pocketbook.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of private adoption?

The advantages include:

1. Greater control over choice for birth parents and adoptive parents. Private adoption allows all parties involved to make choices about the baby and each other. For many, the opportunity to meet provides added reassurance that decisions are being made in the best interests of the child. 2. More information. Direct contact means more extensive background information for the child, including medical, social, and religious histories. 3. More immediate bonding. Private adoption allows the newborn baby to bypass foster care in a temporary home or an orphanage. Indeed, most babies adopted privately come home from the hospital with the adoptive parents, so the bonding process begins immediately. 4. Chance of shorter search. Compared with agency adoptions, the search times for infants may be shorter.

The disadvantages include:

1. Unpredictability of costs. Unlike agency fees, which are generally fixed and known in advance, the costs of private adoption vary. See the FAQ on costs. 2. Inability to select the gender of the child. 3. Greater stress. Because of the active role that birth parent(s) and adoptive parents play in a private adoption, there can be a great deal of stress. Birth parents can change their minds about placing the child after birth.

However, the length of time during which a birth parent can change his/her mind is governed by law and varies from state to state.

Don't you know there is no infant adoption in the US!

Myth: domestic infant adoption doesn't exist.

Despite myths to the contrary, domestic adoption or infant adoption remains alive and well in the United States. It is estimated 25,000 to 30,000 families choose domestic adoption of infants annually. That’s more than all the international adoptions from all countries combined.

I was adopted as an infant. My birth mother was only sixteen, my birth father was close to the same age. Many of the birth parents are teenagers or single young women. Most of the adopted newborns are selected by their birth parents. More than fifty percent of these cases both sets of parents have at least met. Ongoing contact with the birth family is often referred to an open adoption. The extent of the contact varies significantly.

I must say, as an adoptee I would recommend to any adoptive parent, opt for some openness in the adoption. There were so many questions I had as a child. If they had been answered instead of avoided, I would have been a more confident child. Growing Up Adopted. Part 1

Bringing home baby..how to prepare

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