What is a hospital plan for adoption?
When a birth mother has begun making an adoption plan, she has a variety of decisions to make regarding how much contact she will have with you, the adoptive parents. At some point later in her pregnancy, she will sit down with her options counselor to fill out a hospital plan for adoption.
This plan will describe what the expectant mother wants her hospital stay and delivery to look like. She will choose things pertaining to who can be present, who will hold the baby first, how the baby will be fed and how the hospital discharge will go.
As the adoptive parents, it is your job to respect the wishes of the birth mother. While the delivery is an exciting time for you, it will most likely be a difficult time for the mother who is full of mixed emotions. If she asks for space while she is in the hospital, it is important to give it to her. If she wants you to experience everything with her, be there for her every step of the way.
She will have made many specific choices, so it is important that you sit down with the counselor at our Texas adoption agency and discuss the things your birth mother has chosen as most important to her.
It is a good idea to know what the hospital’s policies are regarding adoption
Talk with our Texas adoption agency to hear what they know about the hospital and get some advice about what you should be aware of before the delivery. If it is okay with the birth mother, some hospitals have special rooms where you can stay in order to be near the baby.
It is important to do as much research as possible in the weeks leading up to the delivery so that you can be prepared for (almost) anything. Talk with other adoptive parents about their hospital experience and find out what they recommend doing or not doing. Gather all the information you can but remember to have an open mind about the hospital plan for adoption.
As mentioned before, it is ultimately up to the birth mother to decide what the days in the hospital will look like, so be open to anything. If she changes her mind on something, be ready to adapt.
Exploring the hospital plan for adoption when it is time to sign the legal documents
How will the signing process go? It is so important to know what the birth mother wants regarding this process. If she doesn’t mind signing the papers while you are present, then you can all sign in one room. However, it is unusual for a birth mother to want to sign the papers in front of the adoptive parents.
It is an extremely emotional process for most birth mothers, and it is rare that they want anyone in the room who doesn’t have to be. Most often, the birth mother and you (the adoptive parents) will sign your papers in separate rooms to avoid any emotional pressure being put on the birth mother. If there are papers that must be signed by both parties, it is most common for the agency or hospital social worker to be the go-between.
Birth mothers often experience a mix of emotions during this time
When it is time to take your baby home, you are experiencing joy. However, remember that the birth mother will be experiencing many emotions, including grief, sadness and relief her child has been placed with loving parents.
Be sensitive to her feelings, but don’t be afraid to feel the joy you have in taking your baby home. If you have a good relationship with the birth mother, talk with her prior to being discharged about how she wants to leave the hospital. Does she want to carry the baby out? Does she want to leave before you do? Does she want to pick out the clothes the baby will leave in?
There might be certain things she wants to do that might make departure a little easier for her. As mentioned before, be sensitive to any wish she has throughout the entire delivery and hospital stay. You have the blessing of taking your baby home and making many memories.
If you have questions about the adoption process, including the hospital plan for adoption, please contact us. Our Texas adoption agency is happy to support you and answer all your questions.