Every open adoption is unique - you have choices! In an open adoption, birthfamilies and adoptive families meet, select each other and work cooperatively toward the placement of a child. They plan an ongoing relationship in which they communicate directly with each other over time.

In a domestic infant adoption you do not have the extra time and travel costs involved in international adoption. You will receive the same information that we have about prenatal care and the social/medical history of the birthparents. Depending on the situation with the birthparents you have matched with, you may have the opportunity to be at the hospital at the time of delivery and to take the baby home when he/she is discharged.

Open adoption benifits all parties involved.

The Child  True open adoption is based on the needs of the child. In open adoption children know who they are, where they came from and why a plan was made. This is an incredible gift to give a child, one that children in closed adoptions do not have. Children in open adoption know they are loved by their birthfamily, they have access to their medical and genetic history and they have the potential to develop an ongoing relationship with their birthparents.

The Birthparents  Birthparents feel greater comfort and control selecting the adoptive parents, knowing that the child is loved and that they have found the family who will give their child what they were unable to. Because of openness, birthparents do not need to live in fear and shame. They can deal with their grief and loss in a healthy way.

The Adoptive Parents  Adoptive parents benefit because they have the ability to answer their child's questions. Adoptive parents tell us that they are grateful to the birthparents and feel a sense of pride that they have been given permission to parent the child. Having information about the genetic and family history helps adoptive parents know fully who their child is.

Open Adoption: Many Faces, One Heart is an important 27-minute video which provides an in-depth, firsthand account of open adoption experienced by four families. It is filled with current and accurate information about open adoption and includes interviews of birthparents, a birthgrandmother, and adoptive parents. The video was shot on location at the homes of the families, and illustrates the interaction of the children, their birthparents, adoptive parents and extended family.  You will see this video in your pre-adoptive classes, or to order your own copy click here.