Agency Recommendation for Nationwide Search / AA e-Moms Deciding to Parent

September 24, 2010

Hi,

I'm a newbie here. My husband and I are a black couple in Washington state that wants to adopt a black baby. We want to go with an adoption agency that does nationwide searches for birth mothers to match prospective adoptive parents with. Do you have any recommendations for agencies like this? Ive read that some agencies will give you a discount when you want adopt a black baby because they tend to be harder to place; do you know of any such agency or one that just is more affordable than most, regardless of the race of the baby placed?

Also, I just saw a discussion from a few years ago about black birth mothers often deciding to parent after a match has been made with adoptive parents. Does anyone have advice on what one can do to still adopt a black baby despite this trend?

Thanks

nickchris

September 25, 2010

Hi,

I am AA so is my dh, we adopted an AA toddler. Find out from the agency what their stats are. If the placement % per year is low..why is that? it could be because they are an ethical agency and also provide resources for the expectant mother to parent.

I must say its best to keep the communication open. If you do meet the expectant mother, find out as much as possible about her, and her family. Is the family on board with her placing the baby up for adoption? etc; If not ask the social worker, how is the family dynamics. One situation that we were involved with..I got conflicting vibes and its easy to avoid such feelings if one gets caught up in the baby. Sometimes the social worker (sw) can be very helpful in such communication, maybe counseling etc;

Also one bit of advice that I received and found to be the best scenario..a baby born situation gives one more insight on how the new mother feels, without the invested time prior. There is also other scenarios where the new mother does not want to be involved,and its up to the agency to determine the best placement for the baby.