Top 10 Questions to Ask an Adoption Agency if You’re Pregnant and Considering Adoption

Not all adoptions end with a happily-ever-after. The agency should prepare you for the best, middle and worst case scenarios. You can then weigh the risks against the benefits to make your decision.

Open adoption is proven healthier for the child. It promotes self-identity, healing, and the preservation of information. Open adoption should be encouraged most situations.

If you don’t already have insurance, you may qualify for Medicaid or a low cost insurance. Find out if the agency will help you obtain that information as well as anything else that can be helpful to you during your pregnancy.

Sometimes grief hits when you least expect it. You may be perfectly fine at the time of placement, but a year or two later have intense pain. Will they still be there for you?

Understanding the training, background checks, fertility requirements, and other factors will help you decide if they will have a good pool of potential families for you to choose from.

An adoption agency is in business to facilitate adoptions. So what happens if you change your mind? Will they support you? Will they try to guilt you into placement anyhow? Follow your gut on this one.

Sometimes misunderstandings happen and can ruin a good relationship. Will the agency help you work through the waters if they get rocky?

You have likely come to the decision to place your child for adoption because of something in your life that you feel will prevent you from being able to parent at this time. It may be housing, employment, money, relationships, support, etc. Will the agency help steer you in the direction of working toward a brighter future?

Asking for real life references is a great place to start.