California Adoptions: Frequently Asked Questions

The only people who need to be aware of your pregnancy and the adoption plan are you and the baby’s birth father. We understand that telling the father can be a difficult thing to do, especially if you have a strained relationship or you are not sure who the father is. If you are nervous or worried about this part of the adoption process feel free to talk with our counselors about it. They have lots of experience with this and will be able to help you. In some cases where women don’t want any further contact with the father our agency is even able to notify him for you.

Although it can be nice to have the support of your friends and family during this difficult time you are not required to tell them. This is even true for birthparents that are under the age of 18.

In open adoption you will get to choose the family that you place your baby with and have ongoing contact with that family throughout your child’s life.

The Independent Adoption Center has lots of different types of families for you to choose from so you get the pick the family based off of what is most important to you. If you have a specific type of family in mind our intake counselors can provide you with a custom letter packet that contains only families that meet those specific qualifications. If you are unsure what type of family you are looking for you can also browse through all of our waiting families on the “choose a family” section of our website.

Picking a family is an important decision and many women feel overwhelmed by the large number of families that our agency has to choose from. If you find that you are feeling this way please contact your intake counselor and let them know. All of our intake counselor’s have lots of experience with helping women through this process and can assist you in figuring out different ways to narrow down your search. We can also send you a custom letter packet that has only the families who meet your specific requirements so you don’t have to search through so many profiles to find the ones who are the best match for you and your baby.

The relinquish document is the formal legal paperwork that you will be signing which makes the adoptive family the legal parents of your child. This paperwork is not signed until you have been discharged from the hospital and are feeling emotionally ready to do so. Your open adoption counselor can help you to evaluate when this time has come. They will also be the ones who are with you during the signing so they can offer emotional support and answer any questions you have during the process.

We understand that no one can know for sure that adoption is the right choice for you and your baby before your baby is born. If you feel like you are unsure or have had a change of heart please let your counselor know. Our agency and adoptive families want you to make the best possible decision for you and your baby and will support you even if that choice is not
adoption.

You will not have to worry about medical bills. The adoptive family you choose will be able to pay for all out of pocket medical expenses for you and the baby.

With an agency adoption you do not need to get an attorney. In the state of
California social workers are able to do the same legal paperwork as an
attorney and therefore your counselor at the Independent Adoption Center
will be the one who helps guide you through the legal paperwork.

You are able to receive assistance with any pregnancy related expenses in the state of California. This means the adoptive family can help you with living expenses like food, rent and utilities. If you think this is something you will need please let your intake counselor know and they can help set this up for you.