By Moki Murillo

Did you just receive a positive pregnancy test? Are you having an unplanned pregnancy and aren’t ready to raise a child?

Like many other birth mothers in your position, you might be thinking of putting your baby up for adoption. Unfortunately, information about the adoption process isn’t easily found. Worse, there is a high chance of getting misinformation as adoption is still grossly misunderstood in our society. You might not even know about the difference between private and public adoptions.

Adoption Choices of Nevada wishes to help make this information easier to find. We wish to inform you of the advantages of working with private adoption agencies. And we want to inform you of how to begin the adoption process should you need it.

Public Adoption: What We Don’t Do

When people think of adoption, most think of public adoption, which is a service run by the state. Public adoption in Nevada does not allow birth mothers much choice in the adoption process. For example, they have no choice on who gets to adopt their child. This system is usually geared around absent or negligent birth parents whose children are taken away by child services. The widely known foster care system falls under the umbrella of public adoptions.

Thankfully, you have better adoption opportunities to take advantage of. Generally, it is ideal to work with a private adoption agency, such as Adoption Choices of Nevada.

Private Adoption: What We Do

Adoption Choices of Nevada is a private adoption agency that operates locally. This means that we are an independent agency that is licensed by the state to facilitate the adoption process. While we are not funded by any government, this license signifies our legitimacy and quality of service. 

Private adoption, however, isn’t the same as private schooling, where participants have to pay a premium. The adoption process is free to all participating birth mothers. You, however, also won’t be paid to hand custody over your baby. 

Additionally, the birth mother gets to have a hand in deciding on their child’s future. The birth parents get to interview different adoptive families and decide who takes your child home. You can even choose to get involved in your child’s life should you wish.

Private adoption agencies have the freedom to be affiliated with a specific ideology or religious identity. Adoption Choices of Nevada, however, is not one of them. As an agency, we choose to service all birth parents regardless of their background. And so, we want every adoption experience to be personalized to fit each individual birth mother and their circumstances.

Now that you know about us as an agency, let’s talk about how to begin the adoption process.

The Adoption Process

The first step is to contact one of the many licensed adoption agencies in Nevada. To contact Adoption Choices of Nevada, you can call us at the number provided by our website. This number will lead you to one of our adoption counselors. While adoption is our agency’s specialty, your adoption counselor will walk you through all your options first.

If you choose adoption, then the next step would be to create an adoption plan. Your adoption plan is what allows you to personalize the adoption to suit your wants and needs. 

As stated before, you can choose your child’s adoptive family. You can also choose the type of adoption you wish to pursue. If you don’t want any contact with the adoptive family after placement, then choose a closed adoption. Open adoptions, on the other hand, allow you to remain in contact with your child’s adoptive family. You can even meet and be involved in your child’s life should both parties consent to it. Semi-open adoptions are the middle option. This adoption type allows you to receive updates about your child while keeping them at a distance.

Your plan can also allow you to access other adoption services. You can set up a birth plan, which allows you to choose the environment and manner of the birth. If you are eligible, the plan can even cover reasonable living and medical expenses. You might even be eligible to receive mental health counseling for problems related to the adoption process or pregnancy. We can even continue to pay for your expenses six weeks after placement.

Once your adoption plan is drafted, all you need to do is wait for your due date. After the baby is born, you need to officially terminate your parental rights in a court of law.

The Role of the Birth Father in Adoption

When it comes to adoption in Nevada, the birth mother is the deciding factor. The birth father, on the other hand, gets little say in the matter. That being said, birth fathers do have some power to affect the adoption process.

It is ideal for the birth father to be present and consent to the adoption in order to proceed. If the birth father is absent, we will need to conduct a search for them. Even if the birth father can’t be found, we would still need to legally terminate their paternity rights. If the birth father actively refuses to consent to the adoption, we would have to go to court. At that point, the birth father might be able to stop the adoption and claim custody over the child.

Thankfully, Adoption Choices of Nevada is willing to advocate for you should the need arise. If you are eligible, your legal expenses can be covered by your adoption plan. We can even provide you with legal counsel. 

Our goal is to help you secure your child’s future. If your child’s birth father or anyone else tries to stop that, we are willing to fight for you.

Choose Private Adoption

There are many ways to adopt in the state of Nevada alone. Some are more advantageous than others. Despite the exclusiveness that private adoption implies, it is truly the best option for most birth mothers. Private adoption agencies like ours generally don’t require payment from the birth mother. In fact, we might be able to cover your expenses and even provide free services, such as counseling. Most importantly, you can take an active hand in shaping the future of your child.

If you are not ready to be a parent, call Adoption Choices of Nevada today.