Premier Adoption Agency is a licensed adoption agency and has helped hundreds of women work through their unplanned pregnancies. Our adoption staff and professional counselors are here to assist you 7 days a week to provide you help and assistance as well as counseling about the options available to you. We are here to offer support and guidance as you decide the type of adoption plan that is right for you.
Good question. This is your decision to make and nobody should be pressuring you in any one direction. Listen to your heart. Adoption is about love and giving your baby more. There is always a perfect family for every child which is why this choice is so important. There are unexpected life events that often require sacrifice and reveal themselves later as great learning experiences. The choice to place your baby for adoption is not easy. We know that and we are here to help you through it. With your determination to give your baby a loving home, our support and having picked a family you trust, you will look back and see this experience as one in which you were a part of something so much greater than all of us. It was a bitter/sweet time where life was given and life was honored as a gift of love and selflessness.
Selecting an agency is the first step. We help you through options counseling so that you are educated and feel good about your decision. You then select the adopting family (if you desire an open adoption) you wish to receive your child. We then work with you on a plan for the hospital, correspondence after the adoption, and healing through your loss. It sounds like a lot, but remember we walk you through every step.
Absolutely! Or if you are uncomfortable selecting a family we will be happy to match you with a family that matches your preferences. We have many families to choose from with lots of diversity. All of our families are financially stable but come from varied backgrounds such as religious preference, race, education, married or single, east coast to west coast, etc. We can then set up a conference call for you to talk to them and ask questions. You are also welcome to meet with the family for lunch or an activity. Don’t worry we will be with you so you won’t be alone.
We have many families to choose from. All prospective adopting parents that are shown to you have already gone through the rigors of the evaluation process and are approved to adopt. Their family profile has a letter written to you telling you about their family and why they are adopting and lots of photos to look at. The family profiles are available to look at on our website or we can overnight to the actual profiles for you to look at. You can give us your preferences and we will send you profiles that match your preferences.
Many women have experienced very ugly things in childhood and it is a concern for many. First of all, our prospective adopting families are carefully screened to ensure suitability. They must undergo an intense process of evaluation before they can even be approved to adopt. This process is called a homestudy evaluation and is conducted by a licensed social worker with years of experience working with families. It entails things like background criminal and child abuse checks, financial evaluation, marital evaluation, personal and family suitability, and most of all stability and love. There are no guarantees but the likelihood of this happening is low.
You can choose the degree of openness, but most contact after an adoption consists of letters and pictures until the baby is 18 and occasional conference calls. Open vs. closed options are discussed in depth with your adoption counselor.
Each situation is unique and each state has a different set of laws governing how much and what type of assistance can be given. Usually medical bills can be covered by the adopting family. In some states financial assistance can be provided for your living expenses and in other states it is illegal or there a cap to the amount. In Nevada and Utah living expenses are allowable.
We can tailor make your adoption plan to look any way you would like it to. If you want very little involvement, we are experienced and can put a plan together for you. If you want a lot of involvement that is fine too! You decide if you want to select the family, what type of family, how much contact to have with the family, how you want the hospital experience to go, contact after the baby is placed, etc. If you are unsure that is okay. It is a step at a time and we will continue to educate and support you with whatever you decide.
Although you have a constitutional right to privacy, it is usually much safer for the adoption if we can make contact with him and obtain a relinquishment of parental rights, if he can be located. If the birthfather is involved it is also nice for your child’s family to have a complete health and social history from him as well.
This can be tricky since the State of Nevada requires that we at least try. If we cannot find him we must initiate a termination order on his rights which is costly and carry with it risk of a father possibly wanting to claim his rights later in the process. The State of Utah has a paternity registry. If he doesn’t register his paternity 20 days after you sign relinquishment documents then his parental rights are automatically terminated.
A health and social history will be invaluable to the new family adopting your baby. Should you have any information that could help them be best prepared, your assistance is greatly appreciated. If you have used any drugs or alcohol please know that you can trust us to find a family that is prepared for these issues.
We will share non-identifying information with the adopting family. This means that we share your first name only, the city you reside in, health and social history information, drug and alcohol use during pregnancy, birthfather issues, and anything else we deem necessary so the adopting parents can get to know you. Anything else that is shared will come from you. We respect your privacy.
Most state laws are written so that you cannot change your mind after you sign the adoption papers relinquishing your parental rights. Nevada and Utah will not allow you to change your mind after you sign. However, your involvement in the adoption process does not obligate you to go through with an adoption. Your counselor can review the laws in your particular state so that you understand your rights fully.
A Relinquishment of Parental Rights is the legal document that is signed after your baby’s birth making adoption possible.
Every state has different laws governing adoption. In Nevada you must wait 72 hours (3 days) after the baby is born to be able to sign relinquishment documents. In Utah you must wait 24 hours after the baby is born. In both of these states your relinquishment is irrevocable which means that it is legally binding and you can’t change you mind once it has been signed.
If you relinquish your baby in the States of Nevada or Utah no court appearance is required.
We prefer that he is so the baby can have information about him and it also makes the placement more secure. However, if he is not known or won’t cooperate you can move forward without him. His rights can be terminated through the court or he can voluntarily relinquish his rights and not get involved. If you are in Utah, there is a paternity registry where the birthfather must register his paternity or else he loses his rights to the baby once your relinquishment is signed.
We have worked with many pregnant women where the birth father does not agree with the adoption plan. If you are unmarried his rights to the baby vary from state to state. Typically he needs to be informed of the adoption plan but will have to demonstrate his commitment to parenting the child such as legally contesting the adoption in which he demonstates his “suitability” by showing he has financially supported you in some way during your pregnancy. Most often the birth father does not take the steps necessary to protect his rights and the adoption can move forward.
Many women share your worry. If you are disappointed with yourself or angry with yourself that you are considering an adoption plan for your child, it’s just your own emotions. Your child will be going to a loving home with many wonderful opportunities. Adoption is about love. It is a very brave decision that you can be proud of!
If the baby tests positive for illegal drugs then CPS will be notified. They place a police hold on the baby which means the baby cannot be taken out of the hospital without the approval of a judge. We inform CPS that you are working with our agency on a private adoption plan. Once relinquishment documents are signed CPS is no longer involved and you can still place your baby with the adopting parents you selected. If you decide against the adoption then the baby will likely go into CPS custody and will stay in foster care until CPS does an investigation and the judge makes a decision to either keep the baby in foster care or allows you to take the baby home.
Yes. You fill out a birth certificate for your baby after birth giving the baby a name that you choose. If you choose not to name the baby you can leave it blank and the hospital will fill it in for you identifying the baby as baby boy or baby girl and your last name. Once the adopting parents take the baby into their care they can either keep the name you have chosen, keep a portion of it, or change the name. No matter what is decided you can order a copy of the original birth certificate for your records and memory book through vial records. Once the adopting parents have legally adopted the baby the original birth certificate is sealed by the courts and a new or amended birth certificate is issued giving the baby the adopting parent’s name. Once a birth certificate is sealed it is no longer available for anybody to receive. We order an original birth certificate and you can get a photocopy from us if you forgot to order one or didn’t feel that you wanted one at the time of your baby’s birth.
Yes. Your hospital experience will go the way you decide it will go. You will work together with your counselor to put together your hospital plan because there are many decisions to be made so that you get the time you want with the baby.
Being clear on the reasons why you made an adoption decision for your baby will be very helpful as you go through the grieving and loss period. It is normal to wonder what if. There is no way to know the future. All you can base your decision on is where you are in your life right now and do you feel you can parent a baby and give him all he needs right now. Your counselor will educate you about what to expect in the grieving process so you will know what is normal.
Contact Premier Adoption Agency at 1-800-876-0187 and we can send you packet that will get you going. We provide full support to you 7 days a week and can walk you through every step in the adoption process.
