Adoption After Birth

Is It Too Late to Choose Adoption?

If you are searching for adoption after birth, you may be asking yourself, "Is it too late to choose adoption?"

You may have planned to parent throughout your pregnancy and realized after delivery that your circumstances are different than you expected. Your housing, finances, relationship, health, childcare, support system, or other circumstances may have changed. You may simply feel unsure about whether parenting is the right decision for you and your baby.

Whatever brought you to this page, you are allowed to ask questions.

Choosing to explore adoption after your baby is born does not mean you have already decided to place your child for adoption. Our team can help you understand your options, available resources, and the adoption process so you can make an informed decision.

How Does Adoption After Birth Work?

The adoption process after birth will depend on your circumstances, including whether you and your baby are still in the hospital or have already gone home. You do not have to figure everything out before contacting us. We can start wherever you are.

1. Contact Alaska Adoption Services

Your first step can simply be a conversation. Tell us what is happening, where you and your baby are, and what concerns are leading you to consider adoption. We will listen, answer your questions, and explain your options. Our services for expectant and birth parents are free and confidential.

2. Talk About Your Options

Calling an adoption agency does not mean you have committed to adoption. We can talk about what is making parenting difficult right now and help identify resources that may be available to you. If additional support could make parenting possible and that is what you want, we can help connect you with appropriate resources. If you want to continue exploring adoption, we can explain what comes next.

3. Create an Adoption Plan After Birth

An adoption plan after birth can still reflect your wishes and priorities. You can talk with your adoption specialist about what you want for your baby, the type of family you hope to choose, how you would like placement to happen, and what kind of relationship you would like to have with your child and the adoptive family in the future.

4. Choose an Adoptive Family

You can have a voice in choosing the adoptive parents for your baby, even if your baby has already been born.

Alaska Adoption Services works with approved families who have completed the home study process. You can review waiting family profiles, learn about prospective adoptive parents, ask questions, and choose a family you feel comfortable with.

Can I Choose Adoption While I'm Still in the Hospital?

Yes. An adoption plan can begin at the hospital, even if adoption wasn’t considered until after delivery. Sometimes labor happens before a plan is in place, plans to parent change once the baby arrives, or adoption has been on someone’s mind throughout pregnancy without ever reaching out to an agency.

Alaska Adoption Services can help explain what happens next and coordinate with appropriate hospital professionals as needed. Throughout the process, the birth mother remains the patient and the parent while making her decision, and her medical care, privacy, recovery, wishes, and time with her baby remain important.

What If I Already Took My Baby Home?

You can still contact us. Sometimes the reality of parenting does not become clear until after you leave the hospital. Sleepless nights, financial pressures, housing concerns, relationship changes, childcare difficulties, lack of family support, or simply the reality of caring for a newborn can make circumstances feel very different than they did during pregnancy.

If you have been searching for adoption after baby is born, placing a newborn for adoption, or wondering whether you can make an adoption plan after bringing your baby home, call us.

What If I Thought I Wanted to Parent but Changed My Mind?

You are allowed to reconsider your options when your circumstances change. Deciding during pregnancy that you intend to parent does not prevent you from asking about adoption later. Likewise, asking about adoption does not mean you must ultimately choose it.

If you are thinking, "I just had a baby and I don't know if I can parent," you may be experiencing many emotions at once. You do not have to make sense of everything before reaching out for help.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adoption After Birth