If you are considering adoption, you may have many questions about how this process works. You can make this loving choice if you are currently facing an unplanned pregnancy or if you are already parenting. There are hopeful Christian families out there who can’t wait to welcome your child into their loving home. So, how do you get started once you’ve decided that adoption is the right path for you? How does the adoption process work in Christian adoptions?
Step 1: Select a Christian Adoption Agency
Many women considering adoption wish for their child to be raised in a specific faith. Whether you were raised as a Christian or you simply desire that faith for your child, you can select a Christian adoption agency that shares your values. At Lifetime Christian Adoption, everyone you work with, from your first phone call to the final placement, understands the faith you wish for your child.
A caring adoption coordinator will work with you, one-on-one throughout the rest of your adoption journey. You will have access to:
- Legal and financial support
- Counseling
- Help with your educational or career goals
Your adoption coordinator will help you design an adoption plan that fits your individual needs. At Lifetime Christian Adoption, the birth mother is always in control. You will choose the adoptive family and how much contact you wish to have after your child is placed.
If you are placing an older child for adoption, we can help you find a Christian adoptive family to help your child build on the religious foundation you have already established.
Step 2: Choose a Christian Adoptive Family
Lifetime Christian Adoption works with hopeful Christian adoptive families all across the country. You can click here to view their online profiles. Each family has already passed a background check and a home study. You can access their online profiles and browse through pictures, videos, and testimony to find your match.
As you search, think about what you want your child’s life to look like. In addition to practicing Christianity, what traits do you want your child’s adoptive family to have? Consider these four questions to help guide your search:
- Do you want your child to grow up in an urban or rural community?
- Do you want siblings for your child?
- What are the professions of the adoptive parents?
- Will one parent stay home with the baby?
- Are they open to the same level of future contact that you’d prefer?
Once you have chosen a Christian adoptive family, you have the option of pre-placement contact so you can get to know each other better. Ask plenty of questions during these phone calls or visits so you can feel confident about your choice. No decision is final until you say it is.
Step 3: The Hospital Stay
Before you deliver, your adoption coordinator can help you create a hospital plan so that everyone is on the same page during your labor and delivery. You decide who you would like to be in the hospital with you, and how much time you wish to spend with your baby.
Let your adoption coordinator know when you go into labor. She will notify the adoptive parents and coordinate other arrangements with the hospital so you can concentrate on delivering your baby.
Step 4: Adoption Paperwork
A day or two after your baby is born, an attorney will meet with you to review your rights and help you understand the legal paperwork for adoption. Once you give your written consent for adoption, your baby can leave the hospital with the Christian adoptive parents you have chosen.
Each state has a set amount of time (ranging from 72 hours to 30 days) for the birth mother to change her mind, called a revocation period. You do not need to care for your child during this time.
After the revocation period, a judge will finalize the adoption by granting legal rights to the adoptive parents. The adoption is final at this point.
If you are placing your older child for adoption, you will need to gather some other documentation in addition to this legal paperwork. This includes your child’s birth certificate, medical records from birth to present, and any child support documentation.
Life After Placement
Physical healing from labor and delivery can take six to 12 weeks, depending on your experience. Your emotional journey will likely be more complicated. Even if you are confident that Christian adoption is the right path, you are still experiencing a loss. You may deal with conflicting emotions like guilt and relief, and these feelings could resurface at different milestones and anniversaries throughout your life.
Lifetime Christian Adoption is here for you with free counseling and support services even after placement.
Your feelings will never “go away,” but you will heal and adjust to your new future as you watch your child grow in the love and faith of a Christian family.
Want to learn more about the adoption process? The caring Christian adoption professionals at Lifetime are just a phone call or text message away at
1-800-923-6784.
1-800-923-6784.
As the Vice President (VP) of Lifetime Adoption, Heather Featherston holds an MBA and is passionate about working with those facing adoption, pregnancy, and parenting issues. Heather has conducted training for birth parent advocates, spoken to professional groups, and has appeared on television and radio to discuss the multiple aspects of adoption. She has provided one-on-one support to women and hopeful adoptive parents working through adoption decisions.
Since 2002, she has been helping pregnant women and others in crisis to learn more about adoption. Heather also trains and speaks nationwide to pregnancy clinics to effectively meet the needs of women who want to explore adoption for their child. Today, she continues to address the concerns women have about adoption and supports the needs of women who choose adoption for their child.
As a published author of the book Called to Adoption, Featherston loves to see God’s hand at work every day as she helps children and families come together through adoption.
