Frequently Asked Questions

If you decide you want to talk to one of our Birthparent Specialists, you can call or text us at 412-736-2908 to ask questions or discuss your specific situation. Our experienced staff are available 24 hours a day/7 days per week/365 days per year and our conversation is confidential. When you call, you are not committing to an adoption plan. You can talk by phone or choose to set up a meeting with a counselor either at The Children’s Home, at your home, or at whatever location works for you. If you prefer email, you can reach us at birthparentspecialist@chomepgh.org to ask questions or get more information. We would be happy to talk with you about your options. You are not alone.

You can also fill out this form, and we will contact you.

CONTACT A BIRTHPARENT SPECIALIST

All of The Children’s Home’s adoption services for birthparents are confidential.

All of our services for birthparents are available at no cost to you.

There is no right time to start an adoption plan. You can contact us early in your pregnancy and work with us throughout the entire time, or you might not choose to make an adoption plan until after you have your baby.

Every situation is different and your Birthparent Specialists can work with you to figure out when and how to approach the baby’s father, your parents, other family members, or friends. If it would be helpful to you, your specialist can be there when you decide to tell them and help facilitate that discussion.

Open adoption means that you can choose to have some amount of ongoing contact with your child and the adoptive family. Open adoption allows for different levels of involvement and communication among birthparents, adoptive parents, and children. The degree of openness is entirely up to you and the adoptive parents. In an open adoption, you have many options. You may choose to: select adoptive parents for your child; meet or talk on the phone with them before placement; send items like letters, photos, and gifts to your child and the adoptive family; receive letters, photos, videos, emails from your child’s adoptive family; or visit with your child and the adoptive family after placement.

If you want a closed adoption, a Birthparent Specialist can work with you to do so. You can choose to tell the adoptive family as much or as little about yourself as you would like. The only information that has to be shared is any significant medical history that may have an impact on your baby’s care.

Whether you choose to parent your baby, place them for adoption or explore other options, your Birthparent Specialist will support you either way and help you feel comfortable and confident in your decision. We believe that only you can make this difficult choice and are committed to helping you every step of the way.

You and your Birthparent Specialist will talk about what is important to you in choosing the family that will raise your child. If you’d like to choose an adoptive family for your baby, you can tell your specialist what traits you would like an adoptive family to have. You may also choose to look through the profiles of prospective adoptive families and read the letters they have written about themselves. You can even meet the adoptive family before your baby is born.

If you have your baby before choosing a family, you can decide to meet an adoptive family in the hospital. Or, if this feels too rushed to you, The Children’s Home has an option for temporary Transitional Care. Our Transitional Care is provided through private homes. Each Transitional Care Family typically cares for only one baby at a time. Transitional Care Families for The Children’s Home are not eligible to adopt. You are able to visit your baby during this time while you decide what is best for you.

The hospital time is your time to figure out what is best for you and your baby. You can spend as much or as little time with your baby in the hospital as you would like. Your birthparent specialist will help you decide what feels the most comfortable to you and can help communicate to the hospital staff to make sure your plan is followed.

You can choose when the baby goes home with a family. The baby can go home with a family directly from the hospital or you may decide to use our short-term Transitional Care while you try to figure out what is best for you and your baby. In either scenario, you can decide if you want to be there when the baby does go home.

You can change your mind about the adoption at any time during your pregnancy or after the baby is born, up until the point when you sign the consent to adopt papers and they become legally irrevocable. Your Birthparent Specialist will help you determine when you are ready to sign these papers and will help guide you through the entire process. You can feel free to talk to them if you begin to experience doubts at any time during the process.