Moving on after an unplanned pregnancy takes a lot of effort and courage. So does choosing adoption for your child. Ultimately, it is an act of love on the mother’s part since she will have to experience a deep loss and relinquish her parental rights to the child. Nevertheless, she is deciding for the ultimate good of the child.

One way to help the birthmother move on is to ensure that her child is in good hands. She can work with a reputable adoption agency such as A Act of Love Adoptions to help her choose her birth plan, which includes deciding on the criteria for the prospective parents. The good thing about working with an adoption agency is that you get access to a lot of prospective parent profiles. The agency will have thoroughly screened parent-applicants. These families will already have finished a home study conducted by a social worker and had criminal and child abuse clearances completed.

If you are a birthparent who has decided on adoption, here are some things to help you make your choice.
– Make sure that adoption is what you really want. As a prospective birthparent, you can have access to professional counseling. This counseling can help you explore your feelings and thoughts on the unplanned pregnancy and the adoption. Even though you are the child’s parent in every way and can still change your mind prior to the finalization of the adoption, knowing what you want at this moment will help resolve any conflicting emotions that may get in the way of your drafting the proper birth and adoption plan.
– Know what you want for your child. Knowing that you want your child to be happy and loved is not enough. Be specific about the kind of upbringing and lifestyle you would wish for your child. Ask yourself about the following criteria for your child.
o Kind of family. What family set-up do you envision your child to have? A family with two parents or a single parent? Do you desire for your child to be the eldest child in the family? Or is it okay for him to have siblings? Is birth order important?
o Home and community environment. What type of community would you like the child to grow up in – the suburbs, a small town or the city? Do you prefer the child to be raised in a family of the same ethnicity?
o Parent’s interests and values. Would you like the family to share similar values and religion as yours? How about hobbies and interests? How about their parenting and discipline styles?
o Where the family will live. If you desire to maintain contact with the family, their location could be an important consideration. You may want to have a family that lives in the same city or state as you do.
o Education. Is a college education a priority for the prospective family? What are their dreams and aspirations for the child?
– Decide on the level of contact you want with the parents. It is crucial to choose parents who share the same commitment to maintain your desired level of contact. You can choose to have a confidential adoption (where you only set the criteria but do not have the family’s names and contact details) or an open or semi-open adoption (where there is some level of contact). For open adoptions, you have the opportunity to meet with prospective parents and personally select the parents.

At the end of the day, choosing a family will be based on what your heart tells you. The criteria you have made can be a guideline, but in the end, keeping an open mind can help you make your choice. Of course, the most important criterion is that the prospective family has opened up their arms to welcome your child and are committed to love him with all their hearts.