Every prospective birth mother has the right to choose the best adoptive family for her child. But, say you find yourself in a situation where you need to choose a different family. Can you change adoptive couples after making your decision?
Yes, you can change adoptive couples at any point in your adoption journey before you sign your paperwork.
Whether you want to know how to change adoptive families now, or you’re simply curious about the process, this is absolutely an option for you. Adoption is a life-changing decision to make, and finding the best adoptive family for your baby is part of that.
Below, you will find out how to change adoptive families with the right resources and guidance. You can also contact an adoption professional online today to learn more about this process.
Reasons to Change Adoptive Families
If you’re asking how you can change adoptive families, there may be several reasons for your question. Understanding why you want to find a new adoptive family for your baby is important, so you can make more informed choices in the future.
Some common reasons you might be considering the possibility of changing adoptive parents can include:
- Issues and concerns with pre-placement contact
- Feeling uncomfortable with the family
- Reconsidering your choice of adoption
- And more
Many prospective birth mothers find that having some kind of contact with the adoptive parents pre-placement can help them feel more comfortable with their decision. However, there are those times where that’s not always the case.
Maybe the adoptive parents aren’t warming up to you. Maybe it feels like every question you ask them gets the wrong answer. Early communication and contact is going to be awkward, but if you still don’t feel comfortable, you have the right to change adoptive parents.
Sometimes, the adoptive family profile you viewed doesn’t actually line-up with your experience of the family are once you meet them. This can make you feel like changing adoptive families. It’s important to feel that you get a family you feel is being honest about who they are and they make you feel comfortable.
Or, perhaps you’re starting to reconsider choosing adoption. We get it – adoption is not an easy decision to make by any means. You’re trying to do what is best for both you and your child, but for some birth mothers, adoption starts to feel like the wrong choice. It’s always OK to reconsider adoption, and you should feel free and comfortable to talk with your adoption specialist about this.
However, it’s also completely normal to experience doubt at any point in the adoption process. No one is perfect, and the adoption process takes time and patience, especially to feel comfortable with every decision you’ll make in the process. Talking about any fears or worries you have about your choice of adoption can be a great help.
How Do You Change Adoptive Couples?
Changing adoptive couples will depend on the adoption agency you work with. You’ll want to talk with your adoption specialist or counselor about all of your concerns about the adoptive parents as soon as possible. They can help you determine if there is anything that can be done to address your concerns before moving forward with changing adoptive parents.
Good questions to consider if you find yourself in this situation are:
- Do you need to have more lines of communication open?
- If something came up that you weren’t aware of in the profile, can it be addressed?
- Are there other questions you have of the adoptive parents that could help you feel more comfortable?
- And more
If you feel that nothing can be done to help, then you and your adoption specialist can work to find a new adoptive family for your baby. You’ll go back through more adoptive family profiles to review other waiting families until you choose a different one.
Again, how you can change adoptive couples will vary because of the adoption agency you work with. So, it’s important that you talk with your adoption specialist quickly so they can help you get this situated in whatever way it needs to be addressed.
How Can I Make Sure I Choose the Right Adoptive Family?
How to change adoptive families is one thing, but making sure you find the right adoptive family for your baby is a whole other matter.
When things don’t work out between you and the first adoptive family you chose, it can be discouraging, as this is not how you imagined your adoption journey would go. But, there are important factors to remember so that you can feel more confident with the next adoptive family you choose:
- Make sure you work with an agency that vets and pre-screens every family they work with.
- Choose an agency that creates detailed adoption profiles and offers a good number of families to choose from.
- Talk with your adoption specialist about whether they can help with any pre-match communication.
Moving Forward From Here
There is a sense of peace and confidence when you find the right adoptive parents for your child. With the right steps and guidance, you can find the best adoptive family.
Reach out to an adoption specialist today to learn how to find the right family to raise your child.
