Pregnancy & Adoption Information
- Child Welfare Information Gatewaywww.childwelfare.gov
- National Council for Adoptionwww.adoptioncouncil.org
- American Academy of Adoption Attorneyswww.adoptionattorneys.org
- American Adoption Congresswww.americanadoptioncongress.org
Your adoption counselor will discuss with you what matters most to you in the family you choose and only present you with the profiles and information of the Texas adoptive families we have that fit your desires.
All of the families who are approved for adoption go through rigorous background and fingerprint testing and have to have criminal and child abuse clearances from both the state and federal government. All families have to demonstrate financial, mental and emotional stability and a readiness to parent. Additionally, each family has to go through a process called a “home study” in which they are visited by a social worker who completes an evaluation of the suitability of their home environment. Additionally, you are able to choose the family with which to make an adoption plan, and in some cases, meet them in person before the birth to ensure that you feel comfortable with your selection.
Your counselor will discuss openness options with you.
Openness in Adoption
Contact in an adoption can mean different things to different families as contact can range from letters and emails to phone calls or visitation.
An open adoption is an adoptive family and birth family keeping in contact specific to your preferences. Adoptive Parents and Birth Parents have close contact during the pregnancy and after the birth. There is not one level of openness that works for all adoptions so this can mean sharing photos, phone calls, texts and sometimes even visits.
Semi-open adoptions are a type of open adoption where there is less direct contact shared between the adoptive family and the birth parents. Typically, identifying information is protected, and an adoption professional or other service handles contact after the adoption.
A closed adoption means that there is no contact whatsoever between the birthparents and the adoptive parents and child after the adoption takes place. In fact, there may also be no contact before the adoption.
Are you pregnant and looking for information about adoption?
Call our Pregnancy Hotline at (855)-274-4673
Resources for Birth Mothers
Open Adoption
Openness in adoption refers to the amount of contact among birth parents, adoptive parents, and the adopted child. The amount of contact may vary from family to family and, within a family, may change over time. This communication may range from little or no contact to mediated contact through a third party, anonymous email…
I Chose To Give Her More
“When I was a sophomore in high school, I sat in a desk in my health class and listened to a girl speak to us about her journey of adoption. She got pregnant at 18 years old, right after she graduated. She continued to tell us that she loved her daughter so much. She couldn’t give her everything she wanted to give her child…
Positive Birth Experience Tips
Close to due date? Feeling anxious and nervous? Reading horror stories from the birth table? Giving birth can be a positive experience! Especially if you mentally prepare. While you can’t control everything with your birth experience, you can minimize stress and fear… But how? We have learned top tips from midwife…