8 Reasons Adoption Could be Right for You
If you’re asking yourself “Is adoption right for me?” as you consider your unplanned pregnancy options, American Adoptions of Arizona can help you answer that question. Adoption could be the best choice you ever make.
If you’re considering adoption but are wondering how to know if it’s the right choice for you, continue reading to determine if you identify with any of the eight situations below. Or you can contact us today online or by calling 1-800-ADOPTION to get free information.
Choosing to “give your child up” for adoption is a life-changing decision that will affect both you and your child. We understand how important it is to feel confident in the decision you’re making. So, how do you know if adoption is right for you? While only you truly know what’s best for you and your baby, we can help you take a closer look at your circumstances and how adoption might be able to positively impact your life.
With over 30 years of experience helping expectant mothers find the perfect family for their baby, we’ve seen how adoption can change lives. Many of our adoption specialists are birth mothers who chose adoption for their baby and have experienced the benefits of adoption firsthand. This is a unique perspective not every adoption agency has, and allows us to give the empathetic and informed support you deserve.
How to Know if Adoption is Right for You
You probably have a whirlwind of questions running through your mind right now. A couple of the biggest questions we get are, “Should I put my baby up for adoption?” and, “How do I know if adoption is right for me?”
With the complex emotions of an unplanned pregnancy, it can be hard to think clearly. Take a deep breath. Our adoption specialists are here for you 24/7. They can provide you with a safe space to vent, give you strategies to cope with your unplanned pregnancy and discuss your options with you. They would be more than happy to help you figure out if adoption is right for you.
If you have found yourself in any of the following situations, adoption might be right for you.
1. You are not Financially Able to Provide for a Child
If you’re asking “Is adoption right for me in Arizona?” look at your financial situation. Financial instability is one of the leading reasons expectant parents choose to put their baby up for adoption.
Maybe you’re not at a point in your life where you feel like you can provide for both you and a child. When you choose adoption with American Adoptions, any hopeful adoptive family you choose will go through a mandatory screening process. During this process, we review their financial documents to ensure they are financially able to comfortably raise a child.
Not only that but choosing adoption is completely free to you as a birth mother. American Adoptions offers financial assistance for all our prospective birth mothers. You won’t have to pay a dime. Our financial aid will cover pregnancy costs and living expenses throughout your adoption process such as:
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Rent and mortgage
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Utilities
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Groceries
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Medical bills
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Attorney fees
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And more
Whatever you need help with financially, we have you covered. An unplanned pregnancy is stressful enough without the added anxiety of not knowing if you’ll be able to provide for your family. Adoption is a chance to place your baby in the care of a financially stable family.
2. You Want to Pursue Higher Education
If you’re asking yourself “Should I put my baby up for adoption in Arizona?” while in school or wanting to start school, the answer might be yes.
Maybe you’re in you were in the middle of pursuing your undergrad or had dreams of getting your master’s, or even your doctorate, when you discovered you were unexpectedly pregnant. You might feel like this is a road block on the path to your dream job. Even though it is possible to take classes and raise a child, it can be incredibly difficult.
Julia, a birth mother we worked with, was able to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees thanks to adoption.
“I knew my life did not stop after adoption,” Julia said. “It gave me a second chance to pursue my goals and dreams so that I can be a better version of myself and help people along the way. I wanted to show my daughter that I didn’t give up on myself and, more importantly, her.”
By choosing adoption you are giving your child an amazing life, and as soon as you’re ready, you can begin or resume your educational pursuits.
3. Your Child will Have a Life Full of Opportunity
No matter what your situation looks like or why you don’t feel ready to raise a child, you are completely valid for not wanting to parent. Choosing adoption can open the door to many opportunities for your child. Regardless of whether you don’t have enough money, support or time, American Adoptions can help you find a family who can give your child everything they need and more.
“He plays basketball, baseball, soccer, and even has tried wrestling. He also had had the opportunity to go on a jet ski and go on the boat at his parent’s lake house,” said Michelle, one of our birth parent specialists who chose adoption for her son. “He has all these opportunities because of adoption. If I were to have made the decision to try and raise him he would not be able to have all these wonderful opportunities that he has been able to experience.”
Because you will always have control over your adoption plan, you will be able to choose the adoptive family. You can choose your family based on things such as:
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Where you want your child to grow up.
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If you want them to have siblings.
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If you want them raised in a specific religious household.
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What hobbies and traditions you want them to be exposed to.
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What lifestyle you want them to grow up in.
You’ll be able to specify all of these preferences and more when you start searching for hopeful adoptive families. Your adoption specialist will find adoptive family profiles that match your preferences. You’ll be able to look through as many profiles as you need until you find the perfect match.
4. You Still want to be Involved in Your Child’s Life
Even though you might not feel ready to parent, you might still want to be involved in your child’s life, even if it’s in a small way.
- Adoption can provoke feelings of loss and grief, and separating from your child can be difficult.
- Adoption doesn’t have to be goodbye forever.
- Open adoption allows you to stay in contact with your child and their adoptive family after the adoption is completed.
If you’re wondering, “How do you know if adoption is right for you?” think about the benefits of open adoption.
All the hopeful adoptive families that work with American Adoptions must agree to some form of post-placement contact with the birth parents. This contact can come in the form of
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Texts and phone calls
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Photos
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Video chats
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Emails
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In-person visits
“Knowing that I can be around and be there — I don’t even know how to put it into words… I’m like a cheerleader on the sideline, and that’s more than I could have asked for,” Caitlin, a birth mother who worked with American Adoptions, said of her open adoption relationship. “He gets this family who can take care of him and do everything I couldn’t, but he can also know that I didn’t just give him away. I had a purpose for him, and it was meant to be.”
In addition to giving you peace of mind knowing how your child is doing, they will also never have to wonder about where they came from or why you chose adoption. Open adoption truly benefits everybody involved.
5. You’re in a Difficult Situation
One reason adoption might be the best choice for you is if you’re in a situation that would make safely raising a child difficult or impossible. If any of the following circumstances applies to you, adoption might be in the best interest of you and your child:
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You’re struggling with drug or alcohol addiction
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You don’t feel physically or mentally healthy enough to raise a child
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Your child has special needs that you cannot accommodate
These are just a few of the difficult circumstances some of the expectant mothers we’ve worked with have been faced with. Whatever your situation looks like, adoption is a brave and selfless way to give your child the life you’ve always dreamed for them.
6. You Have Career Goals or a Demanding Job
Another way to answer the question “How do I know if adoption is right for me in Arizona?” is by evaluating what you want your future to look like.
Maybe you’re working towards a promotion or you already have the job of your dreams. If your career is a priority to you, an unplanned pregnancy can make this hard to sustain. If you’re at a job that you love and that occupies a lot of your time, you might have to put that on hold if you end up parenting.
Trying to keep up with a demanding job and parental responsibilities can be difficult, especially if you don’t have anyone to help raise the child. Placing your child for adoption will allow you to return to your career path once the adoption is complete.
7. You Don’t Have Enough Support
Another common reason expectant mothers consider adoption is because they don’t have the support that would make raising a child easier. You might not have a relationship with the baby’s birth father, or maybe your family isn’t supportive of your situation.
“I didn’t have family support… everything was on my own,” Casey said about struggling to find support. “I was just contemplating, ‘What can I possibly do now that would make a difference for our future and provide my sons with the life that I would like to give them?’”
Whatever challenges you may be facing with a lack of support, adoption could be the solution. If you want your child to grow up with two parents, there are thousands of hopeful adoptive couples who are waiting to add to their family.
8. You Don’t Want to Parent
This one is pretty straightforward. It could be as simple as not wanting to have children.
You might not be in a good situation financially, or maybe you’re already done with school and have a steady job. Even if you’re in a situation where you could raise a child, that doesn’t mean you have to.
You are completely valid in not wanting to be a parent. You don’t have to be in crisis to choose adoption. American Adoptions can help you start your adoption process today so that you so that you can eventually resume the life you were living before your unplanned pregnancy.
What’s Next?
If you have more questions about how to know if adoption is right for you in Arizona, we can help. Our adoption specialists are available 24/7. They can talk to you about your current situation and help you determine if adoption is what’s best for you and your baby. To get more information and support, contact us online or call 1-800-ADOPTION.
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