Facing an unplanned pregnancy can feel lonely and overwhelming. But you don’t have to face it alone. The people at Choosing Hope Adoptions have experience dealing with all of the issues surrounding pregnancy and adoption.
We’re available by phone or text 24/7. If you’re pregnant and need help figuring out what to do, reach out to us anytime, day or night.
Pregnant? You Have Choices
If you’re pregnant, you have three options:
- Parent your child
- Terminate your pregnancy
- Create a proactive adoption plan
Each option impacts your life in different ways. When you talk with someone at Choosing Hope, we’ll listen to you with empathy and without judgment. We provide confidential support that is relevant to your circumstances. We’ll go over all of your options, so you can make the best decision for yourself and your future.
Choosing to Parent Your Child
Many expecting mothers find it difficult to “give up” a child, whether through terminating a pregnancy or placing a child for adoption.
Parenting your child can be very rewarding, but it can also be very challenging. It’s critical to have a support system available to help you give your child a safe, nurturing home.
If you decide you want to parent your child, we can provide you with the educational resources and tools needed to support your transition to parenthood.
Choosing an Abortion
Every pregnant woman comes from a unique background. Many women decide that abortion is the right option based on their circumstances.
You have the legal right to have an abortion in the state of Ohio. We will discuss it as one of your options, including state regulations about the timing of the procedure and required pre-abortion counseling.
If you decide that terminating your pregnancy is the right choice, we’ll give you contact information for your local Pregnancy Resource Center.
Choosing to Create a Proactive Adoption Plan
Whether you’re currently pregnant or you’ve already given birth to your child, you can make an adoption plan to provide a loving, safe home for your child or children.
Ethical Adoption, Explained
Many women resist the idea of “giving up” their child or children for adoption. This is often due to a common, though outdated, misperception that adoptions are closed, and the birth mom has no say in who raises her child.
An ethical adoption plan:
- Helps you keep your child out of the state foster care system
- Allows you to choose which family will raise your child
- Offers assistance and post-adoption counseling for birth mothers
- Allows you to choose the level of contact you have with your child’s adoptive family
An ethical adoption through Choosing Hope provides an open, supportive environment that gives you more choices.
Choosing Your Child’s Adoptive Family
We have several families who are ready and excited to provide a safe, loving home to a child. You’ll get the opportunity to review our family profiles, so you can choose a family whose values align with your own.
You will get to meet and establish a relationship with your child’s adoptive family before giving birth. And after you give birth, you will be allowed to spend as much time as you need with your baby before it goes home with its adoptive family.
Choosing to Continue a Relationship After Your Child is Placed
Part of the process of creating an adoption plan for your baby includes deciding the frequency of contact you have with the adoptive family after your child is placed.
The adoptive parents can send you letters, photos, and videos so you can watch your child grow up. Your adoption plan can also include special visits with your child and its adoptive family. You may also choose to have no further contact once your child goes home with its adoptive parents. In that case, please know that your child will be loved and cared for.
No matter what kind of contact you include in your plan, the adoptive parents will respect your wishes and privacy. We’ll listen to your story, your hopes, and dreams, and we will work closely with you to create a loving adoption plan that gives you peace of mind.
What to Expect When You Create an Adoption Plan with Choosing Hope
First of all, we want to be clear that, although we are licensed by the state of Ohio, we are not a state agency. When you make an adoption plan with Choosing Hope Adoptions, your child will NOT be a ward of the state nor enter into the foster care program.
You should also know that your child doesn’t have to be a baby for you to make an adoption plan. We have families who are anxious to welcome an older child or siblings into their home! So, if you are parenting your child on your own but feel you can no longer provide a stable home, please reach out to us. Whether you’re in Cincinnati, Cleveland, or anywhere else in Ohio, our staff is ready and waiting to assist you.
Here is what you can expect when you work with Choosing Hope to make a proactive adoption plan for your child.
Your Choice of Several Thoroughly Screened Adoptive Families
Prospective adoptive parents must meet the requirements set by the state of Ohio. In addition to state screening, families must meet Choosing Hope’s high standards to ensure that your child will be brought up in a safe, stable, loving home.
Once the hopeful adoptive family has completed the necessary state and federal documentation, a member of the Choosing Hope Adoptions team will conduct a home evaluation. The home study is a state requirement and allows us to determine the family’s fitness to adopt and raise a child and educate them on the adoption process.
Every family who has met our standards and state requirements will create a Family Profile. As the birth mother, you will review our book of family profiles so that you can choose a family that shares your hopes and dreams for your child’s future.
Financial Support During Your Pregnancy
It is expensive to be pregnant, but getting prenatal care is critical to your health and well-being. It also helps ensure that you’ll have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. The state of Ohio allows us to provide up to $3,000 worth of pregnancy-related expenses. Such funds may be used for:
- Medical care and counseling
- Housing and utilities
- Groceries and pre-natal nutrition
Since adoption is a legal process that involves multiple parties, we also provide legal services to you and your baby’s biological father at no cost to you.
You also have the support of our entire team throughout the whole process. So, if you have questions or need reassurance, text or call us at any time.
Post-Adoption Support
Pregnancy and childbirth is a physically and emotionally exhausting process. Even though making an adoption plan for your child can provide you with peace of mind, you may still feel overwhelmed, especially when it’s time to give your child to its adoptive family.
We offer professional counseling services to our birth mothers to help you transition from pregnancy to childbirth and adoption. We also provide Lifetime Healing, a certified monthly support group for birth moms.
Choosing Hope offers this post-adoption support at no cost to you. Your future matters, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to move closer to your hopes and dreams.
Take a Deep Breath, Then Reach Out to Us
If you’re in Ohio and facing an unintended pregnancy and you don’t know what to do, give Choosing Hope Adoptions a call or send us a text. We provide confidential, no-cost assistance to pregnant women all over Ohio, from Dayton and Springfield to Columbus and everywhere else in the state. And we’re available 24/7, so any time you need us, we’re here to support you.