At New Life Adoptions, we work with both expectant mothers and expectant fathers, meeting you where you are at in your decision-making. Every adoption situation looks different for expectant parents. Fathers can play a role in the decision-making and adoption planning process even if you don’t have a relationship with the mother at this time.
Involvement
As an expectant father, you may wonder what your role is in the adoption process. It is an important role, and we value your voice and your desire to be involved in the decision. Based on Minnesota law, you may need to be involved in an adoption in some capacity if you are married to the mother or if you have earned the right to notice of the adoption. Regardless of the legal status, there are still ways for you to be involved in making an adoption plan. It will be important to discuss your rights with one of our Expectant Parent Social Workers. We can then assist you with the legal steps to make an adoption plan.
You may desire a different amount of involvement than the expectant mother, and that’s okay! Regardless of how much you are involved in the adoption planning, all expectant fathers can play an important role by filling out a social and medical history packet. Doing this will provide very important medical information to your child and the adoptive family in a way that is non-identifying. The information gives important insight to your child about you and your family’s health history and things to be aware of as the child grows up.
Adoption Planning
If you are involved in the decision-making and adoption planning, meetings can be tailored to what you and the expectant mother are most comfortable with. We are happy to meet with you together or separately to answer questions and talk about your situation. As the plan progresses, meeting prospective adoptive families can also happen together or separately based on your preferences.
We always recommend separate openness agreements with the adoptive family for you and the expectant mother regardless of whether you are currently in a relationship with her or not. Your agreement will be personally tailored to the relationship between you and the adoptive family.
Questions to Consider
Below are some questions to think through as you consider adoption as an option:
- How can I be involved in the decision-making process?
- What rights do I have in an adoption?
- Can I have openness with the adoptive family and my child?
- How do I support the expectant mother and her decision?
- What if I just found out about the pregnancy and she’s already made an adoption plan?
- I’m not the biological father but I want to be involved. What will that look like?
Post Adoption
After the adoption takes place, your Expectant Parent Social Worker will continue meeting with you for as long as you would like. When those meetings stop, you will still have access to support and services from New Life Adoptions. We know adoption is a lifelong journey, and our Post Adoption department will be here to assist you in a variety of ways. Our What to Expect When You Are Expecting blog on Post Adoption shares more about the services and support available to you after the adoption placement.
New Life Adoptions is here for you while you consider adoption as an option for your child. If you want to learn more, contact us today! We understand this is a big decision, and you may feel differently about what is best for your child. Our Expectant Parent Social Workers are happy to meet with you, answer your questions, and talk through your thoughts, fears, and desires.