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Pregnant and curious about adoption?

Here’s how the adoption process works today:

Watch the Video
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Step 1:

Get the Facts

Explore frequently asked questions (and answers) about adoption.

Read our Adoption FAQs
A pregnant woman in an orange dress talks to a person with glasses and a clipboard. They are in a dimly lit room with shelves and a desk.

Step 2:

Pick a Licensed Adoption Agency

All licensed adoption agencies have case workers who work with expectant moms and serve as a guide during the pregnancy.

Here are some agencies that we recommend. They each have caring professionals who are happy to answer questions and help anyone learn more about the adoption process. We trust them because we’ve vetted them for their quality care, professional services, and how they treat birth parents before, during, and after placement.

See our full list of recommended agencies
Illustration of a pregnant woman holding a resume, with a gavel and scales of justice in the background.

Step 3:

Create a personalized adoption plan

  • The expectant mom can decide…
  • To choose a family for her child
  • What she wants in a family
  • How much contact she wants with her child and the adoptive family
  • How the baby’s father fits into all of this
  • How she wants the hospital stay to go (as detailed as who’s in the room when she delivers and who holds the baby first)
  • What type of support she wants afterwards
Watch lacy's story
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Step 4:

Choose a family

The case worker will share profile books with the expectant mom. They’re like family scrapbooks.

These families have been carefully interviewed and approved by the agency to make sure they will provide a safe and loving home for a child.

Some women even choose to meet the family before the baby is born.

This is a good time for an expectant mom to ask her case worker to connect her with a birth mom. Speaking with someone who has already placed may be helpful when exploring her options and could provide a unique avenue of support.

View Stories
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Step 5:

Sign the adoption papers

This is probably the most emotional part of the process because she’s making a permanent, legal decision to basically say I’m signing over my legal rights to this family to be the parents of my child.

Again, the case worker explains all of this, especially regarding how much time between the birth and signing the paperwork, as this period can vary from state to state.

View Stories
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Step 6:

Find support afterwards

At BraveLove, we believe it’s vital that a birth mother *not* walk alone because the journey of adoption does not end with placement. Placing a baby for adoption is a big decision that affects people’s lives forever. Case workers can help connect birth moms to support groups and counselors. They can help with communication between the birth family and the adoptive family. There are other resources too that allow birth moms to connect with other birth moms.

Explore Post-Adoption Resources
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Now What?

Hopefully by now, you know a little more about adoption than when you started. Here are a few of our favorite stories of birth moms:

View all stories