If you are feeling overwhelmed by an unplanned pregnancy, you are not alone. There are resources available near you that can help provide support and assistance throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
If you don’t feel ready or able to be a parent, placing your baby up for adoption may be an option you want to consider. It’s an important decision that you’ll need to weigh carefully. As an adoption agency with more than 30 years experience, we can help you explore the process, learn about the choices you can make, and answer any questions you have.
Clients in Abilene and surrounding areas, including Sweetwater, Snyder, Clyde, Buffalo Gap, Winters and Anson are served by adoption specialist, Shaelynn Wolfe.
Call: (972) 284-0027
Text (Expectant Parents Only): (972) 914-8490
Email: [email protected]
Abilene Adoption Services
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
It’s OK not to be sure about adoption right away. This is a really important decision! Take as much time as you need. Your adoption specialist will discuss all of your options with you — without pressure or judgment. Our goal is to provide support and answers, so that you can make an informed decision.
After speaking to an adoption specialist, you may decide that adoption is not right for you. That’s OK too. If you decide to parent, Adoption Advocates can direct you to resources to provide assistance during your pregnancy and your child’s early years.
Parents who adopt from Adoption Advocates are educated to respect the special bond between the child and the birth family. By knowing you and receiving information from you, they can raise the child that knows where they came from. Although open adoption agreements are not legally enforceable in Texas, chances are that you will choose a family who you like and trust, and they will be committed to honoring their agreement with you.
An open adoption means that you get to choose the adoptive parents, and you can maintain some degree of contact with them. In an open adoption, you will always be honored as the child’s birth parent, because that’s who you are. In almost all adoption plans, the adoptive parents provide pictures and letters and exchange phone calls with birth parents. Depending on the relationship that develops between you and your adoptive parents, sometimes there is visitation. The most important thing to remember is that an open adoption is what the participants jointly decide that it should be. Open adoption is an informal agreement based on trust and respect.
Yes, you can move forward with an adoption plan. Although things will move faster, you will still have the same rights and ability to make choices that an expectant mother does. An adoption specialist will visit you to answer your questions, help you complete paperwork, share waiting family profiles and discuss a post-placement plan. You will receive counseling and support after relinquishment as well, for as long as you choose.
Here’s a look at what to expect with the adoption process if your baby has already been born:
GET IN TOUCH: Reach out to us by calling (512) 477-1122 or texting (512) 270-8415. If you’re still in the hospital, you can ask the hospital’s social worker to help you get in touch with us. We already work with many hospital social workers throughout Texas.
MEET WITH A SPECIALIST: An experienced adoption specialist will visit you as soon as possible, usually within a few hours. She will explain your options, the different types of adoption and what comes next. After learning more about adoption, you’ll decide if you want to move forward with placing your baby for adoption.
MAKE CHOICES: If you’re ready, you’ll begin making choices for you and your baby’s future. You’ll need to decide if you want an open, semi-open or closed adoption. You can start looking at adoptive family profile books and choose one. If you do not want to choose the family, the agency can select for you. Remember, you are still in control of all of your choices.
SIGN PAPERWORK: If you’re sure about adoption and it’s been at least 48 hours since the baby was born, you’ll sign the relinquishment papers. Your chosen adoptive family will be able to take the baby home as soon as the hospital discharges him or her.
The adoption process moves quickly after a baby is born, and 48 hours may not be enough time for you to make a decision. Signing the relinquishment papers is permanent, so you need to be certain this is the right step for you. If you need more time, we can arrange for short-term interim care (also known as cradle care) after your baby is released from the hospital. You’ll be able to continue exploring your options and spend time with your baby before you make a final decision. Even though your relationship with Adoption Advocates began after your baby was born, we hope it doesn’t end there. Many women experience difficult emotions, including grief and sadness, after placement. We’re here to help you through those emotions with adoption counseling for as long as you need, at no cost to you.
Staying healthy throughout your pregnancy is important for both you and your baby, regardless of whether you choose parenting or adoption. Below are some resources in the Abilene-Sweetwater area that can help you access prenatal care. If you don’t have health care insurance and meet certain income restrictions, you may be eligible for Pregnancy Medicaid that can help cover some of your pregnancy-related costs, like doctor visits and delivery.
Abilene Pregnancy Testing & Family Planning
Pregnancy Resources of Abilene
2110 N. Willis
Abilene, TX 79603
(325) 672-6415
Visit website
Please note that while we provide links to pregnancy care centers, we do not endorse any organization and their beliefs may not align with that of Adoption Advocates.
Abilene Prenatal Care & Hospitals
Mercy Health Care Center
1902 Shelton Street
Abilene, TX
(325) 676-6634
Learn more
Hendrick Medical Center
1900 Pine Street
Abilene, TX
(325) 670-2001
Learn more
Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital
201 E Arizona Avenue
Sweetwater, TX
(325) 235-8641
Website
Additional Pregnancy & Parenting Resources
Texas Health & Human Services Benefits Office
4601 S 1st ST.
Abilene, TX 79605
(325) 795-5999
Apply now
WIC – Abilene Public Health Dept.
850 N 6th St
Abilene, TX 79601
(325) 692-1680
Apply now
Sweetwater WIC
1104 Henderson St. Suite A
Sweetwater, TX 79556
(806) 523-1592
Apply now
ADVICE FROM A BIRTH MOTHER
We especially deeply appreciate their true care and support for expectant/birth families, their focus on and counsel toward open adoption, and their ongoing care and support for both us and our daughter’s birth family years after the adoption was finalized.
KATELYNN | ADOPTIVE MOTHER
Get Adoption Help in Abilene
Ready to get started? Complete the form below and we’ll be in touch to discuss your situation and see how we can help. You can also reach out directly to an Abilene adoption specialist by calling (972) 284-0027.
