Open Adoption is pleased to provide you with adoption resources, stories, and articles which are packed with information for anyone learning more about adoption. If you are looking into in open adoption, the articles and information below will provide you with a wealth of relevant information. Are you looking for something that you don’t seem to find here? Drop us a line!
Open Adoption Articles
Learn more about the process of adoption and the blessings of open adoption.
Benefits of Open Adoption
Open adoptions have shown to offer many benefits that are not experienced with those that are closed. Discover more about the benefits of open adoption!
The History of Open Adoption
In the past, closed adoptions were the norm. In a closed adoption, the birth mother did not know where her child was placed and had no say in who raised her baby. No information was exchanged between birth mother and adoptive parents. Get a brief overview of how far domestic adoption has come in the past century.
Open Adoption Facts
Open adoptions have their own set of facts, concerns, myths and stereotypes that may not apply to closed adoptions. Read through these facts for a quick overview about open adoption.
Research on Open Adoption
Studies reveal that open adoptions almost always have a positive impact on children and their families. Though much more research needs to be done, we can look to studies like these to see that open adoptions are the right option for almost every family.
Open Adoption & Siblings
A child’s relationship with their birth mother allows him or her to learn about family history, traditions and culture. Although this relationship rewarding, it can cause mixed feelings. This article shares tips on what to do when a birth mother has other biological children.
Adoption Myths Dispelled
By Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.
Becoming educated about adoption will help you be equipped to separate adoption facts from fiction.
History of Transracial Adoption
Transracial adoption is the process of placing a child of one race in a family of a different race. Get a brief view of the history of transracial adoption in the United States.
Contact Agreements in Open Adoption
A contact agreement, also known as an open adoption agreement, is a document that details the extent and type(s) of contact the biological parents will have with a child after the adoption is complete. Get tips on how to create such an agreement, so the birth parents and the adoptive parents have a firm grasp on the future of the relationship.
Articles for Hopeful Adoptive Parents
Funding Your Adoption
By Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. (Certified Open Adoption Practitioner)
Creative resources and alternatives to make your adoption more affordable.
Open Adoption Relationships
New parents may worry that they will not know how to build a relationship with their baby’s birth mom once they get home. Since there’s so much care involved with a newborn, the important connection between birth mother and adoptive parents may be lost. Here are just a few things to keep in mind when striving to keep open adoption relationships strong even when time and energy are strained.
Interviewing an Adoption Professional
With planning, patience and the determination to follow through on your information, you should feel confident in the adoption professional you finally decide on.
What is an Adoption Home Study?
The adoption home study may sound a little invasive and scary for some hopeful parents, when in fact, it is more about paperwork than a white glove inspection of your home.
Post Adoption Depression Syndrome
By June Bond, Adoption Advocate
After the excitement of welcoming their new child, it is not uncommon for new parents to feel symptoms of anxiety or depression.
The Adoption Home Study
By Debra G. Smith, ACSW, Director
Everything you need to know about the home study process.
Discussing Adoption With Children
Parents sometimes worry that they may harm their children by approaching the topic of their adoption in the wrong way. In most cases, the only wrong way to discuss adoption is to not discuss it at all. Get pointers on how to address your child’s adoption in an age-appropriate way.
A Look At Open Adoption For Prospective Adopters
The biggest fear of adoptive parents in an open adoption.
How to Refocus During a Long Wait
The process of adopting a baby is never simple and it is rarely fast. Even the easiest adoptions require massive amounts of paperwork, home studies, meetings with attorneys and, most of all, patience. Find helpful guidance on how you can refocus in the midst of a long adoption wait.
Marriage Struggles While Dealing with Infertility and Adoption
Attempting to have a child and experiencing only disappointment month after month and year after year wears down any hopeful couple aching for children. When the reality of infertility hits, couples are sometimes pushed to their limits. Britney and Michael were determined to get through the painful ordeal together. Get their successful strategies and survival tips for facing infertility with your spouse.
Articles for Birth Parents
Open Adoption Today
When a woman is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, many people think of adoption as it was twenty years ago, when a woman didn’t have the choices in adoption that she has today. So much has changed for the better.
Stereotypes About Birth Mothers
When you’re thinking about adoption, you might get some slack and hear negative comments. People may say things like “giving your baby up for adoption is selfish.” This article sheds light on the three common stereotypes about birth mothers!
The Reality of the Date Rape Drug
Find out about some of the leading date rape drugs and the harmful effects that they can cause. Also, learn some tips that can help you avoid becoming a victim.
Open Adoption Stories and Poems
One Woman’s Choice
For three years I tried to raise my daughter myself. Her father left two weeks after he found out I was pregnant. My parents live in another state. My mother is remarried and my stepfather didn’t really like me. So we didn’t see each other very much. So it had been Amber and me from the start…
My Open Adoption Story
Read one adoptive mother’s heart-warming open adoption story.
An Open Adoption Miracle
By Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.
Out of tragedy, a beautiful family is created.
Legacy of an Adopted Child
A poem celebrating both birth mother and adoptive mother in the life of an adopted child.
Emily’s Adoption Story
A young woman’s experience and joy through her adoption plan.