Don’t be afraid to take time to grieve after a failed adoption. Your future family will be better for it.
Our Adoption Referral Story
AF readers share how they reacted when they received their adoption referral.
Responding to an Adoption Referral
Don’t agree to any match or referral on the spot. Before moving forward, ask yourself these questions.
Choosing a Referral or Expectant Mother Match: The Basics
What happens when you get a referral?
“Hold on Tight”
Having Joseph has helped me put everything in perspective. But before the adoption was final, it was the ride of my life.
“Motherhood in the Balance”
I sat at the kitchen table, holding the phone receiver as I waited for Nancy, our social worker at the adoption agency, to come on the line. How could I tell her that I had just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
Finding a Pediatrician to Review a Referral
No matter what kind of adoption you’re doing, it’s smart to enlist a pediatrician before you make any other decisions. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a section for adoption medicine, with a directory of members.
Referrals, Matches, and Prenatal Drug or Alcohol Use
Before you choose your adoption path, talk to an adoption pediatrician about risk factors and complications related to prenatal drug and alcohol use.
Can I Adopt a Healthy Child?
All parents, biological or adoptive, want perfect children, and all realistic parents understand that there is some risk in having children by any method.
“Facing Our Fears About Adoption”
Some adoptions don’t end well. Were we wrong to be afraid?
Webinar Replay – “Imagining Your Future Child”
View the replay of the webinar “Imagining Your Future Child,” with Lauren Jiang, LMSW, to learn how to decide on the age, racial identity, and medical history of the child you will be best equipped to adopt and parent.
Before the Adoption: Connecting With Expectant Mothers
What to share, what to discuss, what to look for, and what to expect when you start to look for an expectant mother.
Ask AF: Prenatal Substance Exposure
We are in the process of adopting a child who may have been exposed to drugs prenatally. How can I learn more about this topic?
“Each Stage of Adopting our Miracle ‘Rainbow Baby'”
Sometimes life doesn’t live up to your hopes; at other times, it surpasses them. When my wife and I got the call, life went beyond my wildest dreams.
Choosing Which Age Group to Adopt
For lots of adoptive parents, the hardest part of the process is the “choice” — particularly what age they should adopt.
Expectant and Birth Parent Rights
Openness in adoption should begin long before the expectant mother and adoptive family navigate ongoing contact. An agency and an attorney discuss best practices for working with prospective birth parents.
“From Heartbreak to Hope”
When our first adoption match fell through, we were devastated.
Finding an Expectant Mother Match
How you go about searching for your child’s birth mother will depend on what you feel comfortable with.
Ask AF: Adopting an Acquaintance’s Baby
Answers to your parenting questions.
Tips for Creating Your Profile from Birth Mothers
When creating your family profile, be authentic.