Giving a Baby Up for Adoption in Utah [6 Steps]

How to Place a Baby with a Loving Family

If you are considering putting a baby up for adoption in Utah, know that you can find a loving adoptive family—and it may be easier than you think. Adoption professionals can help you every step of the way. To speak to an adoption professional, you can fill out our contact form or call an adoption hotline (like 1-800-ADOPTION) now.

If you are an expectant mother, placing a baby for adoption in Utah can mean making a better future for you, your child, and a prospective adoptive family, but the process can start well before the child is born. This guide will walk you through the steps of giving a baby up for adoption in Utah.

The steps for giving a baby up for adoption in Utah are:

1. Decide if Adoption is Right for You
2. Find the Right Agency and Make an Adoption Plan
3. Find the Perfect Adoptive Family for Your Child
4. Get to Know the Potential Adoptive Family
5. Give Birth and Complete the Legal Steps of Adoption
6. Continue Relationship with Child and Adoptive Parents After Placement

Step 1: Decide if Adoption is Right for You

Why choose adoption? Putting a baby up for adoption in Utah can be a positive choice for everyone involved. (You, a potential child, and prospective adoptive parents).

For You

• You can get support during your pregnancy and birth, including counseling, medical support, and assistance with bills and maternity clothing.
• You can continue focusing on the things that need to be a priority in your life, pursuing the goals and life you have imagined on the timeline that you need.
• You can choose an adoptive family who can give a child everything you would want to give them yourself.
• In an open adoption, you can be a cheerleader and additional source of love, maintaining a lifelong bond with your child and the adoptive family.

For Your Pregnancy

• Adoption can mean you choose adoptive parents who have been waiting and are 100% ready for a child, which means they will be loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally.
• Placing a baby for adoption in Utah can mean a child has every opportunity you want for them.
• In open adoptions, a child doesn’t just have parents, they have a whole team of people who love them: the people who gave them life, and the people who gave them a home.

For Prospective Adoptive Parents

• Waiting prospective adoptive parents have the child they have dreamed of and wished for, often for years.
• In an open adoption, prospective adoptive parents gain a new relationship with the child’s birth parents, and their family grows even more.

Adoption is a choice that can make a brighter future for you, a child, and a potential adoptive family. But it is not the only choice. Before you begin the adoption process, it is best to be sure of your decision. Thinking through the other options for your pregnancy is always a good idea before you commit to a choice.

The other options for pregnancy are:

• Parenting
• Abortion

Parenting

If you are looking into giving up a baby for adoption in Utah, you likely have already decided parenting is not an option for you at this time. But both parenting and adoption are decisions that last a lifetime, so you should feel empowered to research the decision as much as you feel is right for your situation.

If you are still considering this option, you might check out financial support resources for parents in Utah or talk to current parents about what steps you would need to take to prepare to parent a child.

Abortion

If parenting isn’t an option for you, you may also consider abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure that terminates pregnancy. It is generally safe when accessed through a medical professional. Access to abortion is limited in Utah, so it is important to seek out medical advice as soon as possible from a trusted medical professional if this choice may be right for you.

Only you know the right option. You should feel empowered to make whatever decision is best for you and your pregnancy. If you would like more information or would like to discuss your pregnancy options with a helpful adoption professional, you can click here to get free information.

Step 2: Find the Right Agency and Make an Adoption Plan

Once you choose adoption, the next step is to find an adoption professional and make an adoption plan.

Finding the right agency can have a big impact on your adoption. A good adoption professional will be there for you every step of the way on your journey to give a baby up for adoption in Utah by:

• Giving you helpful information about pregnancy options (never putting pressure on you to choose adoption)
• Helping you access necessary financial support during your pregnancy and childbirth
• Counseling you through any difficult emotions you have, 24/7
• Acting as your advocate and mediator between you and potential adoptive families
• Helping you find the adoptive family that is perfect for you and your vision of adoption

Many adoption professionals work at adoption agencies. Since the agency has an impact on your adoption experience, you might look out for these things when you choose an agency:

• The size of the agency—larger adoption agencies can give you more options for prospective adoptive families
• The experience level of the staff—adoption agencies that have staff who understand adoption and have plenty of successful placements will know the best ways to support you and assure the adoption runs smoothly
• Who is prioritized in the adoption—a great adoption agency will put the child and expectant mother first

If you’d like to get started talking to an adoption agency, you can try one of these agencies:

• American Adoptions is a large adoption agency that focuses on open adoptions with many potential adoptive family profiles you can view online, and more than 30 years of experience helping expectant mothers. You can call 1-800-ADOPTION to reach adoption support professionals 24/7.
• Family Connections Christian Adoptions is a faith-centered Christian adoption agency that works with both domestic and international adoption.

Step 3: Find the Perfect Adoptive Family for Your Child

Once you have a vision of what you are looking for in a potential adoptive family, your adoption professional will introduce potential adoptive family profiles. In some cases adoption professionals may have online profiles you can view or videos of potential adoptive families.

Step 4: Get to Know the Potential Adoptive Family

If you choose open adoption, you will have the opportunity to get to know the potential adoptive family you choose through emails, phone and video calls, or in-person visits. This will allow you to build a relationship with the family, and you can be assured that they are the perfect fit for your child.

This can be an exciting time to share with the potential adoptive family you choose, and it can help you prepare for your upcoming birth and the process to place your baby for adoption in Utah.

Step 5: Give Birth and Complete the Legal Steps of Adoption

Giving birth can be a stressful time, which is why your adoption professional will prepare a birth plan with you, where you can talk through the steps in birth to make it the best experience possible. In your birth plan, you can decide who will be there to support you, how you would like the process to happen, and in what ways you would like the adoptive family to be involved.

The last step before placement is to sign paperwork and have it authorized by a judge. In Utah, there is a 24 hour waiting period before a birth mother’s adoption consent can be finalized after the birth of a child.

Step 6: Continue relationship with adoptive family and child after placement

In an open adoption, the adoptive parents and birth parents will continue their relationship in the ways that they have outlined in the adoption plan after placement is complete.

This may include:

• Picture or letter updates
• Emails
• Video or audio calls
• In-person visits

If you would like more information or would like to speak to an adoption professional now, you can fill out our online form.

Adoption is not “Giving Up”

One final note — although it is common to refer to adoption as “giving your baby up” or “putting your baby up” for adoption, adoption is rarely an easy choice, and it is more often an incredibly brave and loving choice, which is why adoption professionals tend to use phrases like “place a baby for adoption” rather than phrases like, “giving a baby up” for adoption.

In this article we will use phrases like “place my baby for adoption” in Utah as well as phrases like “giving your baby up for adoption” in Utah and “putting my baby up for adoption” in Utah because these phrases are common, but if you are a considering adoption, know that this is simply to use common and accessible language.

Considering adoption often means recognizing our own limitations and searching for the best way to deal with difficult or unexpected circumstances. It means you are strong and brave, and want to make the best decision for yourself and your pregnancy.