12 Sep Can I Place My Baby For Adoption From Jail?

If you are pregnant and in jail, you still have the right to choose adoption for your baby. You can choose the adoptive parents who can provide a loving and stable home for your child.  You can keep in touch with the adoptive family and stay in your child’s life. All of the adoptive families working with Cradle of Hope are open to the birth mother staying connected to their child as they grow up.

You Have a Say in Your Child’s Future

You may feel like many things are outside of your control right now, but you can still have input into your child’s future. The adoption process for a woman having her baby in jail or prison is essentially the same as the process for any other woman. Cradle of Hope can help you create an adoption plan that is right for you.

Choosing Adoption for Your Baby

Your jail or prison caseworker will work closely with Cradle of Hope to help you create an adoption plan that fits your situation. Your plan will include choosing a family for your baby and deciding how things will go when you deliver your baby.  By choosing adoption, you can avoid having your baby placed in the foster care system. Instead, your baby will be able to go home with the adoptive parents you’ve chosen as soon as you are discharged from the hospital.

Many wonder what happens when a woman is pregnant in jail. A jail official will transport you to a nearby hospital to give birth. Depending on your situation, you might be able to interact with the adoptive family at the hospital. You can control who is present during your delivery and who holds and feeds your baby first. Some birth mothers choose to have the adoptive mother present for the birth so that the adoptive couple can start bonding with their baby right away.

Open Adoption

Cradle of Hope will help you put together a Post-Adoption Contact Agreement so that you can receive updates and pictures of your baby. By getting these updates on your child as they grow up, you will be able to see that your child is being loved and cared for by the family you chose for them.

If you don’t have an adoption plan in place, the state will take your baby into custody. You can reunite with your child once you are released, but there is no guarantee that this will happen. The Department of Social Services will have to determine whether you can reunify with your child. Suppose you are in a situation that makes it impossible for them to approve reunification?  In that case, your child could spend years in the foster care system or get adopted by a couple you didn’t choose, don’t know and with whom you have no contact. That is why you need to make a solid plan for your baby while pregnant.

Adoption for Your Child or Children

Adoption is an option if you are a mother in jail or are about to start serving your sentence. Foster care is far from a perfect system and does not give you the option of choosing where your child goes. Foster care can be difficult for your child, and there is no guarantee that siblings will be placed together or will stay together in the future. Cradle of Hope does not separate siblings. We will help you find a family open to adopting a sibling group.

Let Cradle of Hope Help You Determine Your Baby’s Future

At Cradle of Hope, you will find caring, non-judgmental coordinators who will walk you through the adoption process. They will help you find a loving family who wants nothing more than to provide a wonderful home for your child or children. These families go through an extensive home study process that includes background and financial checks, health screenings, interviews, and home visits. As a result, we can assure you that the adoptive parents you choose will welcome your child into a safe, warm, and loving home.

Cradle of Hope can send you adoptive family profiles to review as you consider parents for your baby. Depending on the security rules in your prison, you may or may not have access to the Internet, so we can mail you profile booklets to look over. Arrangements can be made with your prison caseworker so you can have the opportunity to speak to the family you choose.

How Do I Get Started With a Jail Adoption?

All you need to do is call Cradle of Hope at 301-587-4400. If you need help placing a call, ask the chaplain or clinic staff in the jail to help you. One of Cradle of Hope’s adoption professionals are ready to answer your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your coordinator will work with you and your prison caseworker to put together your adoption plan.

You can let your coordinator know what is important to you in an adoptive family. This might include religious preferences, racial preferences, family location, and any other desires you have for a family for your child.

Choosing adoption for your child is a loving and generous gift to your child and an adoptive couple looking to fulfill their dreams of becoming parents. Adoption puts you in the driver’s seat. You can place your child in a home where you know he or she will be happy and thrive in. You will have peace of mind that your child is safe and loved and can look forward to a bright future.