Is Open Adoption the Right Choice for Me?

Is Open Adoption the Right Choice for Me?

There are many aspects to consider when making the choice to place your baby for adoption. One of the most important decisions you will be faced with is the question what level of openness you want — open, semi-open or closed. There are pros and cons to each choice, so determining which feels right for you can oftentimes be a difficult process. 

But don’t worry — we’re here to help! If you are looking for something that feels more open-ended and gives you the opportunity to connect with your baby later on in their lives, open adoption may be the right option for you!

The Benefits 

There are pros and cons to every adoption plan, however, what it really comes down to is what feels right for you and your baby. One of the positives of an open adoption plan is that it gives your baby the option to learn about their origin and heritage if they would like to! It is also a way to give your baby two families rather than just one, and providing him or her with the option to build a relationship with you as they grow older. 

Another alluring aspect of open adoption is that, oftentimes, the birth parents and adoptive parents have continuous communication during your child’s life. Your chosen adoptive family can keep you updated with how your baby is learning and growing through various pictures and letters exchanged back and forth. 

While the level of openness varies from family to family, this is something to consider when choosing your path. Having the ability to stay in touch with your baby’s adoptive family can give you a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of pride in your choice to place your baby for adoption. The connection with your baby and their adoptive family can reassure you that this choice truly was in the best interest of your baby and offer you the peace of mind you need to move forward. 

Pros for Adoptees

With open adoption, your baby has the opportunity to explore their curiosity about you. This is something that they may be thankful for in the future when they learn about the sacrifice you made to give them a better life. When this day inevitably comes, you can take comfort that they can seek you out and learn more about you! 

Having open communication is beneficial for adoptees, especially because it shows them that adoption is a positive thing rather than something to be kept secret. This, in turn, will help them develop a feeling of wholeness, rather than feeling as if there is a piece missing to their identity. One that can only be  filled by a connection to you. Having all parts of their identity openly available to them can help them develop into a well-rounded individual with nothing but positive feelings in regards to their adoption!

Health Reasons

Something else important to consider is the way that your health and your family’s medical history could impact your baby. By choosing an open adoption  plan for your baby, you are giving him or her all of the necessary information to make informed decisions in regards to their medical care. They will never be left wondering whether or not they should be hypervigilant when it comes to certain illnesses because they will have you as a resource! This is a way in which you can advocate for the health of your baby and offer them and their adoptive parents all of the information they would otherwise be lacking. You are ensuring that they can always receive the most well-informed medical care possible, greatly reducing the unknowns when it comes to their health. This will help both the adoptee and the adoptive parents feel confident as your child grows up.

Eliminating the Search Process

Many adoptees will search for their birth parents later on in their lives, but by choosing an open plan for your adoption process, your baby will not have to go through this process. When adoptees feel as if they have to work to find you, it may put a strain on the relationship before it even begins. But you can eliminate the need for this search and the stress that can come with it, thereby creating an open pathway for communication between you and your baby. Through this, you are showing that you do want a relationship with them and your motivation for placing your baby for adoption was so that they could live their best lives. Not because you do not love them or anything along those lines. This is something that your child will most likely want to know more about as they get older. So by leaving channels of communication open, both your and your baby can feel a sense of closure in terms of their adoption story.

Is Open Adoption the Right Choice?

There are many benefits to choosing this form of adoption. However, the choice ultimately lies in your hands. This story has yet to be written and by choosing a path that feels right for you, you can shape your baby’s life in a positive way. Open adoption can help to eliminate any number of potential problems, making it an important road to consider when reviewing all of your options!

Adoption Choices of Nevada in Las Vegas has been providing adoption and surrogacy services across Nevada since 2012. For information specific to Las Vegas, please visit our sister site Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Las Vegas. For information specific to Reno, please visit our sister site Adoption and Surrogacy Choices of Reno. You can also call us to speak to someone now. Contact Us 24/7: CALL OR TEXT 702-474-4673

Meet the Author: Katie Dee is a resident of Long Island, New York and member of the 2020 graduating class of State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English, dedicating a year to family studies.  

Katie has hands-on classroom experience in the field of writing, editing and child and family studies. Her experience, in both the writing field and that of family studies, gives her a unique perspective in her pieces centered around the field of adoption.