OUR BIRTH MOTHER SUPPORT PROGRAM

TruAdopt ensures that a woman facing an unintended pregnancy is provided the opportunity for unbiased options education with a pregnancy clinic or therapist in her area.

When a woman discovers her unintended pregnancy, she is faced with three main options: parenting, adoption or abortion. To avoid the conflict inherently present when an Expectant Parent is educated by someone who holds a financial stake in the outcome (such as an adoption agency, law practice, facilitator or abortion clinic), options education should be conducted by a neutral third party provider, such as a licensed therapist or lay counselor.

TruAdopt’s attorneys only represent Expectant Parents. Our firm collaborates with other adoption professionals and their clients who understand the ethical importance of separate legal representation.

An Expectant Parent who chooses adoption needs to be advised on important legal issues including the consent process, post-adoption contact agreements, Birth Father’s legal rights, financial support during and after pregnancy, and avoidance of intervention by the State Social Services Agency. Unfortunately, only 17 States require separate legal representation for Expectant Parents.

It’s good to think about factors such as the adoptive parents’ education, careers, faith,  financial stability, whether they have other children, and what they do for fun, but these things are only a starting point.

It’s crucial that you choose from families who have the full picture of your circumstances, reasons for adoption, and expectations regarding post-adoption contact. We will work with you to create an expectant parent dossier which includes your social/medical history, redacted medical records, preferences for post-adoption contact, financial needs, information about your child’s birth father, and the reasons you are choosing adoption for your child. Once you have approved the dossier, we will share it with trusted adoption agencies, who use the information to identify suitable families for you to consider.

After twenty-five years of working in private adoptions, we understand the importance of collaborating with licensed social workers, adoption agencies, and therapists. 

Legal representation is only one part of the support you will need throughout the adoption process. In most cases, we recommend that your adoption is structured as an agency adoption where you will work closely with licensed social workers throughout the process.

TruAdopt works with licensed therapists to provide an Expectant Parent with counseling from an experienced therapist throughout the pregnancy, placement, and post-placement experience.

Whenever possible, an Expectant Parent should establish a relationship with a counselor during the pregnancy and continue with counseling as needed into the future. We recommend that the Adoptive Parents budget for a minimum of ten (10) counseling sessions. Whenever possible, counseling with a licensed therapist should be in-person, though telephonic counseling may be appropriate in some cases.

An Expectant Parent is often covered under state-subsidized medical insurance that gives her limited options regarding OB care. Often, the office schedule and patient load prevents the opportunity for thorough patient-physician communication and fails to provide adequate continuity of care.

Whenever possible, TruAdopt connects an Expectant Parent with an OB who is supportive of her adoption plan and sensitive to the unique issues that may arise throughout the course of the pregnancy, labor and delivery. This is especially important where it relates to the Expectant Parent’s relationship with the Adoptive Parents and interaction with hospital personnel. This careful selection process also extends to choosing the hospital where she will deliver her baby.

TruAdopt works with an experienced Adoption Doula who meets with the Adoptive Parents and Expectant Parent/s (in-person whenever possible) to create a thorough and practical hospital plan spanning from early labor through delivery, discharge, and the Birth Mother’s initial separation from her baby.

Education

Often, an Expectant Mother would greatly benefit from childbirth education, but may feel uncomfortable participating in a traditional Lamaze class alongside couples who are excitedly planning for the birth of their baby. As an alternative, our Adoption Doula can provide childbirth education specifically tailored to the needs of the Expectant Mother.

Hospital Plan

The Hospital Plan is one of the most important documents in the entire adoption process. If done properly, it can significantly reduce the stress levels of everyone involved (including baby). Rather than simply having the Expectant Mother check boxes on a standard hospital plan form, the Adoption Doula facilitates an in-person collaborative meeting between the Adoptive Parents and the Expectant Mother with the goal of creating a detailed, written plan regarding the hospital stay. The Hospital Plan covers everything from transportation for the Expectant Mother to the hospital to her post-discharge in-home care.

TruAdopt connects the Birth Mother with a network of established resources that can provide the short and long-term support she needs to navigate inevitable post-placement challenges.

TruAdopt understands that the adoption journey for the Birth Mother does not end when she leaves the hospital. Much needed support services include:

• In-home help for first month after delivery
• Access to Peer Counseling with another Birth Mother
• Birth Mother Retreats
• Birth Mother Mentoring
• Meeting with Vocational or Educational Counselor
• Open Adoption Relationship Mentor
• Connection with Birth Parent support organizations such as “On Your Feet Foundation” Birth Mother Buds, and Three Strands.

When possible, we connect the Expectant Parent with these resources before delivery so they are in place and accessible soon after placement, when they are needed most.

TruAdopt strives to maintain the highest ethical standards and seeks to work only with adoption professionals who do the same.

The adoption decision and process is most often a time of great vulnerability for both Expectant Parents and Adoptive Parents. As such, they sometimes fall prey to unscrupulous organizations and individuals who use adoption as a means of unjust financial gain. Financial issues in an adoption carry great weight, both legally and ethically, and should be handled in a transparent manner. TruAdopt strives to ensure that all parties receive full disclosure regarding the specific fees and costs involved in their adoption.