After you have given your child up for adoption can be a very difficult time in your life. Even if you know that you are providing your child with a much better life, more security, and a brighter future, you still might need support from someone who understands your situation. While you are creating your adoption plan and deciding which agency to work with, it is important to consider what kind of post-adoption support the adoption agencies you are considering will provide to you.
First of all, you will want to make sure that there are mental health services available to you. Not only might you struggle with post-partum depression, but there is a whole different set of stresses and difficulties that come along with creating an adoption plan for your child. Again, even if you know that this was the right choice, you might still experience depression or other mental health issues. Your adoption agency will provide you with resources or suggestions for where you can look for help with this situation. If you feel that you need help, do not be afraid to go to your adoption agency and ask what they suggest doing.
Depending on what type of adoption agency you work with and what type of adoption you choose, you might have a range of situation that you will want your agency’s help with. In some situations, the agency will provide support for birth mothers and families that choose an open adoption. Otherwise, the agency will support your desire to have a closed adoption. The right agency to choose is the one that promises to support you and your decisions not only while you are pregnant, but also after the adoption is finalized.
One of the best ways your agency can support you is to provide you with counseling. You may find this to be the most helpful before you give birth, but it is likely to be just as important for you while you are in the hospital, after you have given birth. Most adoption agencies understand that even if you have given up a child for adoption before, that this is a confusing and often difficult time in your life. They should strive to ensure that your needs are met both while you are in the hospital and after you are discharged from the hospital.
Look for an adoption agency that does not end its relationship with you the day that you give birth. Many will provide you with a counselor that is assigned specifically to your adoption. If they do not, they will certainly help you find a counselor in your area. Of course, you do not have to partake in counseling if you do not want to or do not feel like it would be helpful to you.
What kind of support you need will ultimately depend on what type of adoption you have. Your adoption agency can help you stay in contact with the family that adopts your child and even with the child himself, if the adoption agreement allows this sort of contact. Keep in mind that your needs may change during your post-adoption experience. You might change your mind about something you had previously decided once the baby is born. No matter what exactly you need, the right adoption agency will support you through every step of the process, including after the adoption has been finalized and you are discharged from the hospital.