It’s real. Although you may want to ignore it, your unplanned pregnancy is real. Right now, you are most likely weighing your options. Adoption is a wonderful option that is sometimes the best parental decision you can make for the future of your child. Though it may sometimes be the best decision, that doesn’t make it an easy one. At Options we want to empower women with information as they make their decision.

Is an Adoption Plan Right for You?

Adoption may be an option for you to consider if you find yourself in any of these situations: 

• You aren’t quite ready to parent, but you also don’t want to seek an abortion
• You want to provide your child with both emotional and financial stability

You may have assumptions about what the adoption process looks like. We have found that many women picture adoption as an ending of any relationship with their child. That picture would depict a closed adoption. While a closed adoption is an option for you, they are not a common form of adoption today. An open adoption is much more common today. You can choose the type of adoption that is best for you.

What is the Difference Between Closed and Open Adoption? The difference between open and closed adoption comes down to one thing: the type of relationship shared by the birth and adoptive family. To understand how these relationships differ, take a look at these open and closed adoption definitions:

Open Adoptions

This form of adoption typically means that there is communication between the birth parents and the adoptive family prior to the birth of the child and afterwards. Communication in open adoptions can differ depending on what is agreed upon in the adoption plan. Communication can be letters, periodic pictures, annual visits, emails or phone calls. All open adoptions look differently, the key is that both parties agree on how they want that to look. 

Closed Adoptions

This form of adoption typically means there is no communication between the birth parents and the adoptive family. The birth mother’s information is kept confidential and there is no contact after the adoption takes place. 

Understanding Your Options is the First Step.  This is a choice that you need to think about carefully, and if you’re not ready to parent, adoption may be the right choice for you.  As a prospective birth parent, you decide how much or how little post-adoption contact you would like to have. You can have a very open adoption, a more closed adoption, or somewhere in between. It’s all just a matter of what you are comfortable with. 

Options Pregnancy Resource Center is not affiliated with any specific adoption agency.