What Do I Do?

I had already posted this story so I just went back and copied it for you. This form of adoption is alot cheaper. You do not need an agency. I know that some attorneys do home studies. We adopted our son from a bmom that we met and befriended after she was already pregnant and she had already made her decision about adoption. How and when they get pregnant doesn't change anything as far as what needs to be done. We visited an attorney together and explained our situation. We did not have to hire him until she had given birth. He had his assistant hand deliver a certified consent form to the bmom at the hospital. She signed it as she was being released and a few minutes later our son was handed to us. It was by far the best day of our lives. I felt like he was mine all along but I tried to guard my heart in case she changed her mind. When she was pregnant we went to all of her Drs. appointments together and we even took Lamaze classes together. After he was in our custody we payed for all Dr. and hospital bills, a home study that was required for all adoptions, court cost and the attorneys bills. If they have insurance that they are willing to use, you will have to come to an agreement about the hospital and DR. bills. It is legal for them to use their insurance for your baby. One thing I wish I would have checked on is the hospital's policies as far as adoptions go. The bmom did not want to hold him and the hospital had a policy that we couldn't hold him until the bmom was released from the hospital even though she didn't have a problem with us having him. That wait, with our faces pressed to the window of the hospital's baby room was the longest wait of my life. It is a wonder they didn't have us removed from the hospital and locked up somewhere. Our adoption took place in Texas, 18 years ago. Thank God!!!! Please check your state laws to see if this would work for you. Good Luck!!! Some things are just meant to be. __________________

We are not from FL, but we did match w a bmom from FL. Our son was born just a few mos ago in June. For certain you will need a homestudy to be completed before the adoption, and a lawyer who specializes in adoption law. In our case we were with a private agency vs a full service agency. Difference is the private agency only did our homestudy and whatever else might be needed peicemeal vs the very hefty all inclusive fee some agencies charge. Our agency is in VA, so it would do no good to recommend them to you, but I am sure there are similar agencies in FL. Another suggestion is talk w/several adoption lawyers. Some of them have connections w/agencies that can be used in cases like yours where a match is already identified. In our case the FL lawyer we used did, and had several fee schedules such as use of her services only, her services plus xx services provided by the agency, etc. One nice thing about her practice was that she included counseling for the bparent(s) as part of her retainer fee. (Access to counseling is SO important for bparents to have!) She is located in the Orlando area. If you'd like her name, just PM me, since recommendations within posts are against the forum's TOS. Good luck with your match!