If you’re considering placing your child for adoption in Iowa, you have a lot of decisions to make. Fortunately, these decisions are often all contained in one document: your adoption plan.
Every prospective birth mother in Iowa must complete an adoption plan before moving forward with her journey. Every woman’s adoption plan will be different; it is heavily based upon her own circumstances and preferences. In order to make the best adoption plan possible, a prospective birth mother should always work with an experienced adoption professional — such as those at the Nelson Law Firm.
When you contact our law firm, our professionals will explain the legal process of Iowa adoption to you and ensure you receive all of the services you need to successfully place your child for adoption here. As part of that process, we will help you create your personal adoption plan. You will always be in charge of every decision in your Iowa adoption plan; our team will help you reach those preferences and goals.
For more information about adoption in Iowa and to start making an adoption plan today, please contact our law firm at 319-291-6161.
What is an Adoption Plan?
An adoption plan is exactly what it sounds like — a plan for every step and preference of a prospective birth mother’s adoption in Iowa. It will include everything from the kinds of professionals she wishes to use, to the family she wants to adopt her child, to her post-adoption communication desires. For a woman new to adoption, making an adoption plan can be complicated. Fortunately, there are professionals who can guide you through every step, making sure that all the necessary details are covered.
Your adoption plan is always up to you. It will determine exactly how your Iowa adoption process proceeds and should make you more comfortable with the journey ahead. You may consider looking at an adoption plan template from other birth mothers to get a better idea of what awaits you on this life-changing journey.
How to Start an Adoption Plan in Iowa
While every expectant mother’s adoption plan will be different, there are a few common parts of the adoption process that will be addressed in your personal adoption plan. Understanding these different aspects is the first step in making an adoption plan in Iowa that works for you and your baby.
Step 1: Pre-Placement Plan, including Finding Adoptive Parents
When you first contact an adoption professional in Iowa, you will start your adoption plan from the very beginning. To help you put together this plan, your professional will ask for certain medical and social information from you, as well as discuss your personal preferences and goals for your adoption moving forward.
First, you will need to determine what kind of adoption professionals you wish to work with. You will always need the assistance of a local adoption attorney to protect your rights and interests, and our legal team at the Nelson Law Firm is here to help. But, you can also choose to work with a local or national adoption agency for 24/7 counseling and support during your journey. Our team can provide references to agencies we trust if you want to learn more. Remember: The services you receive during your Iowa adoption will always be free to you.
As part of this step, you will determine what kind of parents you wish to adopt your child. You can choose from many different characteristics — such as race, age, marital status, location and more — to create a profile of the perfect adoptive parents. Your adoption professional will use those characteristics to find prospective adoptive parents for your child and present to you their adoptive family profiles. From there, you will select the family that you want for your child. The final decision will always be up to you.
Step 2: Open Adoption Plan
As you create your ideal adoptive parent profile, you will also determine what kind of pre- and post-placement relationship you want with your child’s parents (and even your child). You will only be presented with adoptive parents who share the same open adoption preferences, but you will also have the chance to create your open adoption plan with them after matching. Open adoption is a partnership, so you will each play a role in this decision, although the ultimate decider will always be you.
An open adoption relationship can naturally ebb and flow over time, but having a set of preferences established early on can help create a positive relationship from the beginning.
Step 3: Adoption Plan for the Hospital
Finally, after you have found intended parents and set your basic preferences for your Iowa adoption plan, you will create your adoption birth plan, also known as your hospital birth plan. This birth plan for adoption will detail every aspect of your hospital stay, including:
- What hospital you wish to deliver at
- What medical decisions you wish to make for yourself and your child
- Who will be in the room during delivery
- Who will get to hold the baby first
- Where the baby will stay after delivery
- And more
You will also talk in detail with attorney Ken Nelson about the process of giving your adoption consent after delivery. You will have to wait at least 72 hours before signing this legal document, so Ken will walk you through the process as part of your adoption hospital plan — ensuring you understand how this process works and letting you decide when and where you wish to complete this documentation. Whether your birth plan includes an adoption agency or not, you will always work with an experienced adoption attorney for this step.
For more information about how to start an adoption plan in Iowa, or to view some of the sample adoption birth plans that our law firm uses for women in your situation, please call our team at 319-291-6161 or contact us online today.