STEP 1: Contact A Rainbow’s End Adoption
You do not have to have your mind made up, but the first step is contacting us for more information so you know all your options and are informed about the adoption process to better make a decision that is right for you.
STEP 2: Fill out paperwork and start prenatal care
If you decide that adoption is what is best for you and your baby, it’s important to start filling out A Rainbow’s End’s paperwork to help start the process.
It’s also important to begin prenatal care. Prenatal care is so important to your health and the baby’s.
STEP 3: Create an Adoption Plan
From the paperwork you’ve completed we will create your adoption plan. Your adoption plan will be based on what information you’ve provided. With your adoption coordinator, you will finalize your expenses, the type of family you are hoping for, type of communication you want with your adoptive family, among other decisions.
We will present your profiles of families that meet your criteria and with your adoption coordinator review those profiles and choose two families. Depending on the area the family you choose lives, we will setup an in person meeting, FaceTime call, or conference call.
STEP 4: Contact with Adoptive Family and ongoing support
If you have decided that you want contact with your adoptive family, we will help you navigate your relationship. You can call, text, email, whatever you are most comfortable with.
You will continue to meet with your adoption coordinator during the process and provide support and help. We will continue to talk about your needs and as we get closer to your due date, your hospital plan.
If you have chosen counseling, this will be available to you at no cost you.
STEP 5: Meet with an Attorney or Social Worker
You will need to meet with an attorney or social worker to go over the legal aspects of the adoption. This is to ensure you understand what you will be signing and that all your other questions can be answered.
STEP 6: Place your baby with your Adoptive Family
With your coordinator, you will have covered your hospital plan. You will get to decide if you want to see, hold, or feed your baby. You can also decide who you want in the delivery room with you and who visits after the baby is born.
Some moms have asked us to be in the delivery room, while others ask us to wait. We have had other moms that want to spend some time alone to say their goodbyes and ask the adoptive parents to come in after. The choice is yours and we will support your decision.
STEP 7: Meeting with the social worker or attorney
After the birth of the baby, you will meet with the attorney or social worker for a second time to consent to the adoption. When you will meet will depend on which state laws the adoption is being finalized in.
STEP 8: After the Adoption
Every birth parents experience is different in how you experience your emotions and what contact you will have with the baby and adoptive parents.
We will be there to help you navigate your feelings and if you chose to receive counseling, it’s encouraged that you continue seeing your counselor. During the process, we will have talked about what your plans are after the adoption. What goals did you want to reach after the adoption? Did you want to go back to school? Work? Join a support group?