Bringing a new baby into your family is a joyous experience. If this is happening through an adoption, you must ensure that you understand the process and what’s going to happen.
One of the decisions you have to make is what type of adoption you’re looking for. This can be an open adoption, a closed adoption or a mediated adoption. Each of these has benefits and drawbacks. They’re classified based on the amount of contact you’ll have with the birth family.
Communication with the birth family
In an open adoption, the adoptive family communicates with the birth parents. In a closed adoption, no identifying information is exchanged between families and there’s no communication. In a mediated adoption, communication between families is handled with the help of a third party.
If you’re taking part in an adoption that allows for contact with the birth family, you must remember that you should do what’s best for the child. There’s a possibility that having the child remain in contact with the birth family might not be in the child’s best interests. If that occurs, you’ll have to determine if you’re still going to provide them with updates about the child.
In open and mediated adoptions, flexibility is important because there’s not any set system that works for every case. Being able to adjust as you see the child’s needs and what type of effort the birth family is putting forth can help you to provide an environment that enables the child to thrive.
People who are considering adoption should ensure that their rights are being protected. Getting everything situated from the start of the process can help to reduce stress, so be sure you have experienced legal guidance.