6 Months Pregnant & Considering Adoption [What to Know]

If you’re asking “What should I do now that I’m 6 months pregnant and don’t want the baby?” you have three options that can help you take control of your future:

• Adoption
• Parenting
• Abortion

If you’re still not sure which of your unplanned pregnancy options is right for you, you’re not alone. You have a few options to consider, which means that it can be hard to figure out which one is right for you. In this guide, learn more about each of your unplanned or unwanted pregnancy options at 6 months.

And if you want to get direct support now, you can contact us online to be connected with a helpful adoption specialist.

YOUR BABY’S DEVELOPMENT AT 6 MONTHS

If you’ve said, “I’m 6 months pregnant and I don’t want the baby,” the good news is that you’re almost at the end of the second trimester. As you get ready to enter the last trimester of your pregnancy, here’s what you should know about baby’s development.

•  23 Weeks:Can you believe that your baby is almost a foot long? That’s pretty crazy. Now that your baby is getting bigger, they are going to start looking more like baby right around this week. And, although you may have gotten comfortable with dealing with discomfort, you might have to start getting used to swollen ankles and feet and backaches.
•  24 Weeks: At 24 weeks, your baby’s movements might start to get a little stronger, which might be kind of a weird feeling — especially if you’re thinking, “I’m 24 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby.” Know that there is nothing wrong with not wanting or feeling ready to parent this baby, and you can use the rest of your pregnancy to make a plan for your and your baby’s future.
•  25 Weeks: It can be hard to take care of yourself when you’re 25 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby, but be sure to keep up all the hard work you’ve been doing so far!
• 26 Weeks: Right now, you’re probably feeling pretty uncomfortable. Your baby is making it hard to get a good night’s sleep, and you’ve probably had one or two stress headaches. Six months is also the time that your doctor will want you to get tested for gestational diabetes, which usually happens around this week. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your doctor will prescribe more medication, and you may have to take insulin.
• 27 Weeks: You’re finally at the home stretch! Week 27 is the last week of your second trimester. If you’re considering adoption or parenting, now is a good time to start thinking about your hospital or birth plan. And if you’re 27 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby, it might be time to think about your options.

YOUR OPTIONS FOR AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY AT 6 MONTHS

Although some women make their decision a little earlier, many women start to consider their unplanned pregnancy options at 6 months. If this is the situation you’re in, you’ll find the answers you need below.

Adoption

Many women wonder, “Can you put a baby up for adoption if you are 6 months pregnant?” The answer to this question is always yes!

If you haven’t had a chance to yet, now is a great time to create an adoption plan. Overall, the process for placing a child for adoption at 6 months of pregnancy will look nearly the same as starting the process during any other month. Below are the normal steps for getting started when you’re 6 months pregnant and considering adoption:

• Step 1: Contact an adoption professional. When you call an adoption agency, a trained professional will go over all of your options for an unplanned pregnancy at 6 months. If and when you’re ready to start making an adoption plan, your adoption professional will help you through every step. If you’re not sure where to start searching for an adoption agency, you can complete our contact form to be connected with an adoption professional now.
• Step 2: Create an adoption plan. Your assigned professional will start asking you some questions about your plans for adoption. He or she will ask your about your ideal adoptive family, how much contact you’re open to, what you want the hospital stay to look like, and more. All of these questions will create an adoption that’s made just for you if you’re 6 months pregnant and don’t want the baby. It’s okay if you’re not totally sure about some of these questions yet — your adoption professional will help you think through all of your options, and you can take your time making a plan that you’re 100% comfortable with.
•  Step 3: Choose the perfect adoptive parents: After you’ve decided on what you’re looking for, your assigned professional will send you a variety of adoptive family profiles. Many women prefer to work with larger, national adoption agencies, because these agencies will have more profiles for you to look at. Once you pick out a family, you can start getting to know them through conference calls, email exchanges, texts, even in-person visits.

“Once we found each other, it was as if we were attending a normal family get-together. We laughed and talked and enjoyed each other’s company,” Carmen remembered about meeting her baby’s adoptive parents. “I grew to know and care for them — not only as the couple that would become the parents of my unborn son, but as friends and family.”

•  Step 4: Create a hospital plan and get ready for placement. Similar to your adoption plan, you’ll have full control over what you want your hospital stay to look like when you’re 6 months pregnant and don’t want the baby. You’ll be able to decide how much interaction you plan to have with the adoptive parents, who will be the first one to hold your baby, how much time you want to spend with your baby and more.

After the delivery, you’ll have to sign the consent to adoption. How long you’ll have to wait until you need to sign this document will depend on where you live.

• Step 5: Adjust to post-placement life. Just because the adoption is over doesn’t mean that you have to say goodbye. As the birth mother, you get to decide how much contact you’re open to after placement. Most women choose to at least stay open through pictures and letters, but you can you even plan visits once a year, if not more.

“You’re not giving your babies up,” Janelle said about what inspired her to choose adoption. “You’re just giving them a better life… it’s unselfish, you know? That’s their lives you’re thinking about — it’s not just your life. You’re giving them the opportunity to live the best life that they can, and the life you know that you can’t give them.”

If you’re having thoughts of, “I’m 24 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby,” please contact an adoption professional to create a plan.

Parenting

The big day will be here soon, which means it’s time to start prepping for parenthood, if this is the option you choose. Keep adding to your baby savings account and take a good look at your finances for this pregnancy option at 6 months. It’s also a good idea to start getting more of what you think you’ll need to prepare for your new arrival. It’s never too early or too late to stock up on diapers!

Now that you’re getting closer to your due date, it might be a good idea to tour the hospital, including the labor and delivery rooms. Getting yourself acquainted with where you’ll meet your little one will help reduce anxiety before the big day.

Abortion

Abortion is one of your early unplanned pregnancy options, but many women consider this choice even when they’re 23–26 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby. How late you can get an abortion really depends on which state you live in. As a pregnant woman approaching the third trimester, it will be harder to find a provider who will be able to help now that it’s been more than 12 weeks. While the answer will differ from state to state, most states ban abortions after 24 weeks. While it’s possible to get an abortion later than 24 weeks, any abortions done past that point are usually only in rare cases.

If you are approaching 25, 26, and 27 week of pregnancy, it might be time to start considering either parenting or adoption, unless your doctor recommends an abortion due to extreme health concerns.

What Now?

Still feeling uncertain? That’s okay.

Deciding what to do with an unplanned pregnancy is probably the hardest decision a woman will ever have to make. We’ve laid out all the information for you, but it’s up to you to make a decision.

If you’re not sure which unplanned pregnancy option is right for you, please reach out to an adoption professional to get more information. They’ll walk you through all of your unplanned pregnancy options, not just adoption. Whether you’re 24 weeks pregnant and don’t want the baby or getting closer to 27 weeks and still don’t want the baby, you still have resources available.