Frequently Asked Questions about Adoption in Ohio
Adoption in Ohio is always an option for you when you’re experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Birth parents choose adoption for many reasons, and adoption is always worth it. But, it is normal to have many adoption questions if you have never had any personal or family experience with adoption.
A good way to know if adoption in Ohio is right for you is to review reliable Ohio adoption FAQ information. You can also get the answers to your Ohio adoption questions by contacting American Adoptions of Ohio at 1-800-ADOPTION, or you can contact us online for free adoption information.
Common Adoption Questions about Adoption in Ohio
An adoption is a selfless act of love, but if you have never experienced adoption in your personal life or if you don’t know anyone who has ever experienced adoption, then you may not know the facts about adoption in Ohio.
This guide will help you become informed and feel prepared to choose adoption in Ohio.
1. Is it Wrong to Put a Baby Up for Adoption in Ohio?
No, it is not wrong to choose adoption for your baby. The more important adoption question to ask yourself is if adoption is right for you? Many people who don’t have experience with adoption or who don’t know the benefits of adoption may be subject to misinformation. The truth is that adoption has many life-long benefits for birth mothers, adoptive parents and adoptees.
One of our birth mothers, Sharon, said it best in her adoption testimonial. “I changed at least three people’s lives for the better! Her adoptive parents, Steve and Adriana, and of course our daughter Emma.”
2. Is Putting a Baby Up for Adoption Free in Ohio?
Yes, it is always free for prospective birth parents to place a baby for adoption in Ohio and across the U.S. This helps prevent illegal child trafficking and promotes safe and ethical adoptions for everyone involved. Many prospective birth parents ask this adoption question when they are choosing adoption due to financial instability.
3. When Can I Choose Adoption in Ohio?
You can choose adoption at any time before, during or after childbirth, even if you have already taken your baby home from the hospital. Your adoption specialist has experience helping birth mothers at various stages of pregnancy, even with last-minute or same-day adoption. You don’t have to worry about choosing adoption after you have taken your baby home for weeks or even months because there are many waiting families that want to adopt your baby into their safe and loving home.
If you are ready to start your Ohio adoption process today or you have more adoption questions, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online for more free adoption information.
4. How Do I Sign Up My Baby for Adoption?
When you are ready to sign your baby up for adoption, you can begin your adoption process in Ohio by calling an adoption agency, like American Adoptions of Ohio. Our phone number is 1-800-ADOPTION and you can also contact us online at any time to get answers to your adoption questions. You will be connected with your own personal adoption specialist who will help you complete adoption forms and guide you through every step of your adoption process.
5. How Do I Find Couples Looking to Adopt a Baby in Ohio?
This is a common adoption question because you want to find the perfect family for your baby. At American Adoptions of Ohio, we provide matching services to help create adoption opportunities for prospective birth mothers and hopeful adoptive families.
We create adoptive family profiles that include pictures and descriptions of where these families live, who lives in their family, like children and other pets, and the couple’s occupations. We also create unique adoptive family video profiles for each of our families so that you can hear them talk about their plans for their future child, you get to see their home and how they interact with one another. Our adoptive families even answer the adoption question of why they are choosing to adopt a child.
If you have found a waiting adoptive family for your baby and you would like to begin your open adoption, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online at any time.
6. Can Someone in A Different State Adopt My Baby?
We get this adoption question often because we are a national adoption agency which means we work with families across the U.S. You can choose a family to adopt your baby even if they don’t live in Ohio. Each state has its own adoption laws, but the federal Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) allows for adoption to take place across state lines by coordinating both states’ adoption laws. You don’t have to worry about anything when placing your child with a family in a different state because your adoption specialist and adoption attorney will take care of the ICPC process for you.
7. Can I Get Paid for Adoption in Ohio?
This is another common adoption question that is important for prospective birth parents who are experiencing financial hardship during an unplanned pregnancy. You don’t get paid any funds directly when you choose to place your child for adoption in Ohio. If you accept money to place your child for adoption this is considered child trafficking and is illegal in the United States.
But, you can qualify for adoption financial assistance if you are experiencing financial hardship or instability. This means that you can have your medical, legal and living expenses paid by the adoptive family that you choose. The court system will decide on the amount that you qualify to receive, but those funds are paid directly to the companies that bill you.
If you have adoption questions about financial assistants or you want to apply for adoption financial assistance, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online for more free adoption information.
8. If You Put a Baby Up for Adoption, is Your Name on the Birth Certificate?
There are two answers to this adoption question because an adoptee has two birth certificates, the original birth certificate and the amended birth certificate. Your name will be on your child’s original birth certificate. But, once your child has been placed with their adoptive parents, they will receive an amended birth certificate and your name will not be on the amended birth certificate.
The original birth certificate with your name listed is sealed and kept by the Ohio Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics. Your child’s adoptive parents will receive a copy of the child’s amended birth certificate that will not have your name listed.
9. Whenever You Give a Baby Up for Adoption, Do You Decide the Name or Do They?
The answer to this adoption question can be different for each adoption situation. You can benefit from communicating with your chosen adoptive family to name your baby together because your baby’s name will be the same on both birth certificates.
If your baby has already been born and you chose a name for their original birth certificate, that’s OK. Your child’s adoptive parents can choose to keep the same name on the amended birth certificate or they can choose to change the child’s name.
10. How is My Privacy Protected During the Adoption Process?
Your privacy is important in the adoption process and we maintain your information in a confidential and secure location throughout your entire adoption process. Even when you choose an open adoption, your personal information will only be shared with your chosen adoptive family. Confidentiality is important because it is important for you to choose who you want to be involved in your adoption and who you want to know about your choice of adoption.
11. Can I Keep My Adoption a Secret in Ohio?
The answer to this adoption question depends on your personal situation. You can keep your adoption a secret in Ohio, but it may be more difficult if you live with or near your family and friends. If you want to keep your adoption a secret in this case, you can work with your adoption specialist to possibly qualify for prospective birth mother housing and other services to keep your pregnancy and adoption a secret.
Another common adoption question is about the difference between a secret adoption and a closed adoption which does not allow your child’s adoptive parents to have access to your information. This means that you would keep your personal identity a secret from them before, during and after the adoption process.
If you are considering keeping your adoption a secret and you need support, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online for more free adoption information.
12. What are Some Frequently Asked Questions about Open Adoption in Ohio?
Some prospective birth parents worry that they will not see their child again after adoption placement. Don’t worry, this does not have to be the case when you choose an open adoption in Ohio. Many adoptive parents want to maintain communication with their child’s birth parents and they want their child to have regular contact with their birth parents if you are comfortable with this level of communication.
13. If You Give Your Child Up for Adoption, Can You Still Have Contact With Them?
Yes, you can have contact with your child’s adoptive parents and your child through open adoption in Ohio. Many prospective birth parents ask the adoption question, “What is open adoption in Ohio?” This means that you and the adoptive parents that you choose for your baby maintain a comfortable level of communication. This communication can be anything from phone calls to video chats and/or in-person visits throughout the year.
14. What are the Benefits of Open Adoption in Ohio?
The answer to this adoption question is relevant for birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees.
For birth mothers, open adoption in Ohio allows you to be present in your child’s life which can help you cope with life after adoption and bring you peace of mind in knowing that your child is receiving opportunities and the love that they deserve. Many adoptive parents become close friends with their child’s birth parents for a lifetime through open adoption.
Through open adoption, adoptees grow up knowing that they have two sets of parents that both love them and want what is best for them. They can have all their adoption questions answered by their birth parents and their adoptive parents so they can grow up with a healthy sense of who they are.
You can benefit from open adoption in Ohio and when you are ready to begin, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online for more free adoption information.
Ohio Adoption Process FAQ
There are five basic steps in the Ohio adoption process and here are a few of the top adoption questions that birth parents ask about each step of the adoption process.
15. How Do I Know if Adoption is Right for Me?
It is important to ask yourself a couple of questions when you’re wondering if choosing adoption is right for you. Do you want to be a parent? If you know that parenthood is not an option for you, then you can ask yourself if terminating your pregnancy is best for you. If you don’t want to be a parent and you don’t want abortion, then adoption could be right for you.
If you have more adoption questions about if adoption is right for you, you can call us at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online for more free adoption information.
16. What Do Adoption Agencies Do in Ohio?
A full-service adoption agency in Ohio, like American Adoptions, will provide all the adoption services that you need such as adoption counseling, adoption education and adoption matching services. We also provide all the adoption professionals that you need such as social workers, adoption attorneys and case managers. You will get the adoption support that you need from the beginning of your adoption process to the end and you get help coping with adoption after placement. We will provide answers to all your adoption questions whenever you need it.
American Adoptions of Ohio will work hard to give you the best adoption experience possible. You can call us today at 1-800-ADOPTION, or contact us online at any time for more free adoption information.
17. How Do I Start an Open Adoption with My Baby’s Adoptive Parents?
When you are ready to communicate with the adoptive parents that you have chosen for your baby, you can let your adoption specialist know and you can get connected with them. Your adoption specialist can set up a conference call to help you begin a conversation and if you’re comfortable you can exchange phone numbers and emails to communicate on your own. One of the best parts of open adoption is that you can ask your chosen adoptive family as many adoption questions as you would like.
18. How Does Ohio Adoption Work at the Hospital?
This is a good adoption question because many important things while happen for you at the hospital. When you are at the hospital, your adoption specialist will make sure that your doctor and nurses know your adoption hospital plan. This means that you get to choose everything about your labor and delivery. In Ohio, after your baby is born, you are required to wait 72 hours before signing your paperwork for consent to adoption. You will no longer have parental rights to your child and your baby’s adoptive parents can bring the baby home.
19. Is It Hard to Give a Baby Up for Adoption in Ohio?
There are many emotions associated with placing a baby for adoption including fear and contentment, loss and acceptance, guilt and relief, grief and hope. Every birth mother will experience different emotions, but adoption is never easy. We can answer this adoption question for you because our agency staff includes birth mothers, adoptive families and adoptees so we have personal experience with adoption.
When you choose adoption for your baby, you are choosing to give your child the best possible life and this knowledge can help you cope and heal after adoption. It is normal to miss your baby after adoption as one of our birth mothers, Janelle, talks about after placing her twins for adoption with our agency.
“After two or three months… I realized they’re where they need to be, I was getting pictures, they were happy,” Janelle said. “Now, it’s almost been a year, and I miss them sometimes — I miss them all the time, and sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had kept them — but I know it was the right choice.”
When you work with us, you can get all the support that you need throughout your adoption process. You can call us today at 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with an adoption specialist, or you can contact us online at any time for more free adoption information.
20. What Happens After Adoption in Ohio [Post-Adoption Questions]
After your Ohio adoption, your American Adoptions specialist will still be available for you to talk to and ask post-adoption questions. We also provide post-placement support and counseling because the end of your adoption in Ohio is just as important as the beginning. You get free adoption counseling and unlimited adoption support whenever you need it after adoption placement with our agency.
21. How Do I Know if I Can Trust the Adoptive Parents to Communicate After Adoption in Ohio?
This adoption question is often asked out of fear of losing touch with your child, but the truth is that many adoptive parents want to share your child’s growth and development milestones with you. When you choose to have an open adoption with your baby’s adoptive parents, you can build trust by spending time with one another and learning about each other. Many birth parents become good friends with their child’s adoptive parents and maintain a close relationship with one another after adoption in Ohio.
You may not desire such a close relationship, but you do have the right to maintain communication with the adoptive parents after adoption in Ohio when you have both agreed to maintain contact. You can always reach out to your adoption specialist at American Adoptions of Ohio when you have concerns about communication with your child’s adoptive parents.
What If I Have More Adoption Questions About Adoption in Ohio?
The adoption questions listed here are common adoption questions that we get asked often at American Adoptions of Ohio. Many prospective birth parents have unique situations with different questions, and you can benefit from contacting us at 1-800-ADOPTION at any time, to ask us your specific Ohio adoption questions. You can also submit questions to Michelle, a birth mother who is also our Birth Parent Peer Support Specialist. When you contact us online you can get more free adoption information and answers to your Ohio adoption questions.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.
