Every unplanned pregnancy situation is different. Whatever your reason for choosing adoption, you are entirely valid in your decision because at the center of it all is the desire to give your baby an amazing life.
Reach out to an adoption professional today to determine whether adoption is the right choice for you.
You might not be in a place where you can comfortably raise a child. Or, maybe you are already a parent and could not realistically provide for another child. Whatever your circumstances are, adoption is always an option for you. There are adoption professionals out there who are ready to provide you with the advice and guidance you need when you’re ready.
Listed below are five reasons for “giving a baby up” for adoption. If any of these reasons for choosing adoption resonate with you or you have a different reason, then you may be ready to start the process.
1. You Want to Give Your Baby an Amazing Life
At the heart of most expectant mothers’ reasons to give their baby up for adoption is the desire to give their baby the best life possible. You love your child unconditionally but might not be at a place in your life where you can provide a child with everything they need. Or, you already have a child or children and you know that adding another member to your family would put a strain on the resources available to you to adequately support everyone.
Adoption is an act of love and selflessness. You’re putting your child’s needs first, even though it’s difficult. You want to see your child have a happy and abundant life, even if you won’t be raising them. By choosing adoption, you are still giving them that amazing life.
2. Parenting Doesn’t Fit into Your Future Plans
Unplanned pregnancies can happen at any point in your life. Parenting a child or adding another member to your family may not fit into what you had planned for your life. You may have wanted to further your education, advance in your career or even retire.
You might want to be a parent but you don’t feel ready at this point in your life. Or maybe you have no desire to be a parent at all. And that’s okay. There are hundreds of hopeful adoptive families who are longing for a child.
For many expectant birth mothers, one of the common reasons to choose adoption is that they already have kids. You may feel that your family is already complete. In fact, most prospective birth mothers who choose adoption already have a child. You might not want any more children or you may not have the resources to provide for another child in addition to your existing children.
By choosing adoption you’re acting in the best interest of your unborn baby and your children. If you have raised your children and they are out of the house, you may be ready to retire from your job and start a new chapter in your life as a parent of adult children.
3. You Want Your Child to Grow Up in a Two-Parent Household
One of the common reasons for choosing adoption is not having the support of the baby’s father. Whether he doesn’t want to be involved, you don’t know who the father is or can’t get in contact with him; you might not want to raise a child on your own.
While a two-parent household isn’t necessary for a child to have a successful upbringing, being a single parent is difficult. You might not feel like you will be able to adequately raise your child on your own or you just want your child to grow up with two stable parents.
Every hopeful adoptive family must complete a home study. Home studies assess the home environment of the prospective adoptive family to ensure that the child they adopt will grow and thrive with their adoptive family. Prospective adoptive parents have been preparing to give a child a life full of love and happiness, so you can rest assured that your child will be loved beyond measure.
4. You’re Not Financially Stable
Parenthood is expensive. You will be expected to cover costs of food, clothing, childcare, education, medical expenses and more. To raise a child to the age of 18, you can expect to spend around $230,000.
If you’re struggling financially or know that you could parent but it would stretch your finances too thin, adoption is a great choice. Especially if you already have children and feel like adding another child to your family would make it difficult to meet all your children’s needs.
If you don’t have the support of the birth father, raising a child in a single-income household can be incredibly overwhelming. All hopeful adoptive families are screened to ensure that they are financially capable of comfortably providing for a child.
5. Your Home Life Is Unstable
Wanting your child to have a stable home life is one of the many valid reasons to put a baby up for adoption. You might be in a toxic relationship that you don’t want to expose your child to. Or you might be struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism that would prevent you from being the best parent you can be. Choosing adoption for your child allows you to give your baby an amazing life while focusing on getting out of your current living situation or overcoming your addiction.
You might be struggling with mental illness or a physical ailment. Trying to parent when you’re struggling with your mental health can exasperate anxiety or depression, which makes it difficult to parent. Children have boundless energy, so if you’re dealing with a health problem you may find it difficult to keep up. Adoption allows you the time and money to get the help you need.
Whatever your reasons for putting your baby up for adoption are, you are valid. By choosing adoption, you are making a brave and selfless choice. To get more information on how to get started with your adoption process, reach out to an adoption professional today.