Can a Birth Mother Change Her Mind about Adoption?
At Adoption Choices of Arizona, we hear a lot of questions about adoption, and our goal is to answer all of them. We want you to be as well-equipped as possible to handle your pregnancy and adoption process as an expectant mother. There are a lot of nuances to the adoption process that you might find confusing or foreign to you, especially if you are new to the adoption world. One of the many things you may be wondering is: can a birth mother change her mind about adoption?
This isn’t the most straightforward question, and there can be different answers, depending on your specific situation. It’s a bit complicated, but not impossible to work through with the right information.
Can a Birth Mother Change Her Mind about Adoption?
The short answer is no. A birth mother cannot change her mind about adoption after the legal transfer of the child’s custody has taken place. Because the term “birth mother” assumes that the child has already been given to an adoptive family, the legal process will likely be finished by the time you have begun thinking about changing your mind. Once you have signed away your parental rights, and a judge rules that the child is no longer in your custody, you no longer have the right to decide what happens to your child. This does not mean that you are barred from input on the adoption, provided you’ve worked out a happy level of communication — like open adoption or semi-open adoption — with the adoptive family.
This is one reason why any good adoption agency wants to make sure they work with you through the adoption process. We want to make sure a bad situation like this doesn’t occur, and that involves making sure that this is what you really want for your child. There are lots of valid reasons to consider adoption, but it’s important to know if that’s what you really want. There may be some heavy emotions to work out in the process of deciding adoption is right for you and your child, and it’s always better to do that while there is still time to make a decision.
Is There a Situation where a Birth Mother can Change Her Mind about Adoption?
If you are concerned about whether or not you have the right to change your mind about the adoption at all during the adoption process, then that answer is much different! Adoption Choices of Arizona works with you to decide the best course of action according to your needs in the adoption process, and your word is always the final say. This holds true in everything we’re capable of providing you with. If you decide during the pregnancy that you are no longer in favor of going forward with the adoption, or in favor of keeping the child or otherwise, then that decision is yours to make. At this point in the process, the custody of your child is firmly within your control. Any decisions regarding your child’s future are yours to make.
Why would a Birth Mother Change Her Mind about Adoption?
There are plenty of reasons why an expectant mother might change her mind about adoption. Some may find a growing emotional attachment to their child throughout the pregnancy, while others may realize they no longer feel incapable of caring for their child. It is important to remember that life situations can change as well, and a new home environment or shifting financial circumstances may open up new possibilities for raising a child.
The decision to go forward with adoption isn’t final until you have signed away your parental rights and the adoption is finalized in court. It can be very fluid and feature a lot of change over time. You should not feel obligated to go forward with anything you aren’t comfortable with, and you should understand that your feelings may change over time.
Understanding Your Decision about Adoption
Hopefully, you have a better understanding now about in what situations a birth mother might consider changing her mind about adoption. There is plenty of time to think about placing your baby for adoption before he or she is born, but it does become permanent after the adoption is finalized and your child is living with their adoptive parent(s) or family.
The adoption process at Adoption Choices of Arizona is designed to give you as much freedom and opportunity as possible within your individual circumstances. We want you to make the right decision for yourself and for your child, and want to support that decision no matter what.
For adoption resources or to begin your adoption journey, birth parents can visit us at Adoption Choices of Arizona or call or text us at 1-480-900-5520. If you are an prospective adoptive family hoping to adopt a baby, please instead, visit us here!
Meet the Author: Josh Drogemuller is a Senior at Grand Valley State University and has interests in writing and digital studies. A relative newcomer to the field of professional writing, Josh has spent the last eight years of his educational career honing his skills on the page. Josh is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Writing.
Living in the Midwest, Josh looks forward to long baseball games and longer sentences.
