Adopting An Infant

QUESTION: What should we consider when adopting an infant?

ANSWER:

The first thing to consider when adopting an infant is your age and energy levels. Adoption criteria closely scrutinize these facts. Learning about adoption will assist in your search for the infant you wish to adopt. Knowing the right questions to ask will help you decide on the agency, group, or individuals that will navigate the adoption process. Once a reputable agency or lawyer is found, that group or individual will be able to assist you in knowing what to look for, what to ask, and who to ask.

Decide if you will be adopting an infant domestically or internationally. Arrangements will be made between the adoption agency or birthmother and the adoptive parents on whether the adoption will be open or confidential. Find out as much about the birth mother or parents as possible: the type of health problems that ran in the family, the parent’s life style, education, and reasons for making the adoption plans.

If you are considering a potential birthmother prior to delivery of the infant, make sure the mother is really pregnant and ask for medical records to see that baby and mother are receiving adequate care. Search the medical history of the birthfather, as this could be a difficult subject for the birthmother. This information provides history for your child (especially in open adoptions). Many states have strict laws governing contacts between the birth mother and adoptive parents; know the state’s law before making adoption plans. Because even buying the mother a cup of coffee could be considered improper for an adoption contract in some states.

While adopting an infant might not be feasible for you right now, you can still make a huge difference in a child’s life. Please consider the “adopt a child” sponsorship programs through our friends at Compassion International.