Adoption means wanting the best possible family for your baby to grow up with. You choose the parents that you feel would be the best fit for you and your child.
Free and Confidential Options Counseling
One of our social workers is able to meet you at a location that is most comfortable for you and at the hospital if needed. Our social workers are available 24/7 throughout Illinois. Our goal is to empower and educate you on your rights and options regarding your unplanned pregnancy. We are here to support you with the option you choose.
Adoption
Through adoption, you can choose who parents your child and the level of openness you want to keep as your child grows. Our adoptive parents go through an extensive background process to ensure your child would be cared for.
Steps to consider:
- Your rights as a woman considering adoption
- Adoptive families
- Level of openness you’d want
Parenting
Parenting can be rewarding and filled with love, but is also extremely difficult and might interfere with the goals you have for yourself.
Steps to consider:
- Finances
- Support
- Your emotional and physical health
Abortion
The option of abortion will end your pregnancy. Your decision is extremely personal and you deserve to have support and education. Hopeful Beginnings does not provide abortion services and refers all clients back to their medical provider.
Steps to consider:
- Asking a medical professional about the potential risks and the procedure itself
- Your emotions surrounding this option
- Prepare for potential short and long term emotional and physical effects
What Is Adoption?
Is It Selfish To Want To Place My Baby For Adoption?
No. Through adoption, you offer the baby not only life, but the chance for a better future. You also have to decide what is best for you. Your goals, such as school or career pursuits, are important ways of taking care of yourself. You are not being selfish, but rather ensuring that you can make it financially and emotionally on your own. You are taking responsibility for your own future.
Looking at two things realistically will help you make your decision:
- Do you have the financial resources to care for a child at this time in your life?
- Is a baby in your future but not in your present due to your goals?
Is Placing My Baby For Adoption Permanent?
Yes, once you have made the decision to place your baby for adoption and you have signed the Permanent and Irrevocable Surrender forms giving legal custody to Hopeful Beginnings, it is a final decision that cannot be changed. It is extremely important that you consider all of your options before making the decision to place your child for adoption.
Do I Need My Parent’s Permission To Place My Baby For Adoption?
No. However, if you are under the age of 18, we strongly encourage you to talk with your parents about your decision. Facing unplanned pregnancy is difficult and we want you to have all the support you need during this time.
If I Choose To Place My Baby For Adoption, Who Will Pay My Bills?
Hopeful Beginnings will assist you with reasonable pregnancy-related expenses, including medical care, should you need help.
Does The Birth Father Have A Say In Placing My Baby For Adoption?
By law, biological fathers have the same rights as birth mothers. When possible, it is important that the birth father be involved in making an adoption plan for the child. Hopeful Beginnings encourages both parties to receive the adoption counseling needed to make the right decision for your child.
Can I Have Contact With My Child After Placing Him/Her For Adoption?
Yes. At Hopeful Beginnings you can choose to have an “open” adoption, meaning that you and the adoptive family have ongoing contact after the baby is born. The level of openness is up to you and with what you are most comfortable. Hopeful Beginnings believes that “adoption is a relationship,” and we are advocates not only of ongoing contact, but also the perspective that a birth mother never relinquishes her position or connection to her child. Some of our adoptive families permanently welcome their child’s birth mother into their own extended families.
