On the surface, the adoption process seems simple enough: You want a baby, you find a birth mother willing to share their precious bundle with you, and you adopt and raise the child.
However, adoption is anything but that cut-and-dried. It is, in fact, a highly complex and emotionally-charged process. It is nearly impossible for couples to navigate on their own because it requires extensive legal knowledge as well as ample amounts of counseling, guidance and support. As a participant, adoptive couples are too close to the process to make it function optimally.
That’s the harsh reality; however, there are people who possess the know-how to move the process forward so that adoption becomes a positive experience for everyone involved. These experts are adoption counselors and the licensed, experienced adoption agencies they work with.
There are four basic benefits to hiring a professional adoption agency and working with a counselor:
- Guidance
- Welfare of birth mother
- Support
- Knowledge
Guidance
In the adoption process, there are specific steps to take at certain times. An adoption agency can help you put your best foot forward right from the start. They can help match you with a birth mother and facilitate communication. Adoption agency staff members put you first, letting you drive the process to suit your family’s needs while being behind you every step of the way, guiding you through the many layers of the process.
Welfare of birth mother
If you try to navigate the adoption process yourselves, you will not have the same type of deep relationship with the birth mother. Your relationship with her will benefit greatly by having a person in-between the two of you. The agency has more experience with knowing what she will need during pregnancy and how much involvement is healthiest for your relationship with her. Less contact from you is better, as the Agency provides everything she needs. She is in total control of weather the baby actually gets placed with you (even until a few days after the delivery), so this is where you have to trust the Agency the most.
Also consider this: An adoption agency is more accessible than a law firm. You could have a quick question, but it may take days for a lawyer to return your call. Adoption agencies are there for you and will respond quickly.
Support
An adoption agency is on your side. They are there to comfort you when uncertainty strikes, calm your nerves when you feel unsteady and soothe your soul when your fears get the best of you. They want you to have the family you always dreamed about and have your best interests at heart.
Education
When choosing an adoption agency, look for one whose staff has knowledge, experience and a high level of compassion. You want someone who not only knows the process well, but also been through it themselves. Many adoption counselors choose their career because their hearts have been positively touched through adoption, either as a child raised by an adoptive family, a birth mother who unselfishly made the decision to place her child with an adoptive family or as an adoptive parent looking to provide a home for a child.
Considering adoption? We would love to speak with you! Reach out to our Director today through the chat button, email info@openarmsadoptionagency.com or call (206) 492-4196.
