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"My experience with Children At Heart Adoption Services was the best I could have found anywhere. Janice & Erica helped match me with the perfect adoptive family for me, and made me feel comfortable about the entire process as it was going on. If you have an unplanned pregnancy and are considering adoption, I highly recommend going through Children At Heart - even if you are just curious about the process, and what it's like, and whether the choice is right for you. I am very thankful that they could help me provide what I wanted for my child." - Nicole, Children at Heart birthmother If you need to speak with someone about forming an adoption plan for your baby, please call us at 910.763.4414. If we are unable to answer your call, please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible (we check our messages on nights and weekends, and we're happy to meet with you at any time). We offer adoption services for birthmothers in NC & NY If you are pregnant and considering adoption as an option for your baby, please contact us right away - call 910.763.4414 or email CAHadoptions@aol.com. Even if you have already given birth to your baby, it is not too late to form an adoption plan. Birthmother Support Group Meetings in NC Children at Heart hosts a monthly support group meeting in Wilmington, NC for women who are pregnant and considering adoption, have already been through the adoption process, or are currently in the adoption process. The meetings are free, and you do not need to RSVP to attend. The next birthmother support group meeting will be held on: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 7pm at our Wilmington, NC office at 254 North Front Street, Suite 200 To join this group or to learn more about creating an adoption plan for your baby, please contact us at 910.763.4414 or CAHadoptions@aol.com, or feel free to attend a meeting - no RSVP required! Our beautiful birthmother support group space was donated by Paysage Interiors, who helped us create a comfortable, soothing environment for our birthmothers...
We are looking to start support group meetings in the Saratoga/Albany, NY area, as well. If you are from that area of upstate NY and would like join our support group, please let us know! Kindly email us at CAHadoptions@aol.com, and we will take your contact information so that we can let you know if a meeting is scheduled. These meetings will be free and open to anyone who has completed an adoption or is considering adoption for their child.
We also have an online support group! If you are unable to make it to the meetings held at our office in NC, you can still be part of the support group - join us online! We have created a Yahoo Group, and by joining the group you can post stories, ask questions, or give support to others. This is a wonderful way to connect with other women who are considering the adoption process, in the adoption process currently, or who have completed an adoption plan already. To be invited to join this private support group, please contact us at 910.763.4414 or CAHadoptions@aol.com _________________________ "My experience with Children at Heart was more than I could have asked for. I came into the office so unsure of my decision, and left with a new look on the adoption process. Janice and Erica made me feel right at home, and spent hours explaining the process in full detail, and answered every question I had. Through the whole pregnancy, delivery, and even now Janice and Erica were both there for me twenty-four/seven. Through the whole adoption process and after, they keep a line of great communication open between birth parents and the adoptive families, if that’s what you chose. Each month, they host a birth mother support group which is amazing; it lets you connect with other birth moms and really reassures you, that you are not alone. Whether you’re experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, or want more information on adoption, to see if it’s the right choice for you, I would recommend Children at Heart. I am extremely thankful they were there during this process, they made the process a lot easier and reassured me the decision I made was the best I could have. They helped me to give what I wanted for my child." -Shannon, Children at Heart birthmother
Unplanned pregnancy? You are not alone - Children at Heart is here to help.
We can explore adoption as an option for you and your baby.
We can explain the details of the adoption process.
We can help you develop an adoption plan that fits your needs.
We can help you choose an adoptive family.
Children at Heart Adoption Services, Inc., is here to be your guide and support system throughout your pregnancy. a lot different than I expected it to be. Erica and Janice are always there when I need them, even now, after the process of adoption. They helped me find the most perfect family for my little one. With going thru Children at Heart, they help you stay positive and remind you that adoption doesn't mean that you will never see your child again, it just means that you did what is best for your child. Thanks to Children at Heart, I was able to place my child with a loving and caring family! I will continue to tell people about Children at Heart and the positive experience I've had with them. We even have birthmother meetings and man if that does help. I just want to thank Janice and Erica for everything!!!" -CAH birthmother
Frequently Asked Questions From Birthmothers Considering Adoption...
Will there be a cost to me to meet with Children at Heart, or to have their help finding an adoptive family for my baby? No - there will be no cost to you to work with Children at Heart. Any legal expenses will be paid by the adoptive family, and we can help you work out a budget for other expenses for which you may need assistance from the adoptive family if necessary.
Who will choose a family for my baby? You will. Children at Heart will ask you what preferences you have for an adoptive family, and then you will choose a family who meets your preferences from our data base of approved adoptive families. If you are seeking a closed adoption, and wish to have Children at Heart choose a family for you, we can certainly do that.
Will I be able to have contact with my baby after the adoption? That is entirely up to you. You will be able to choose to have an open, semi-open, or confidential adoption plan for your child. You can choose to have periodic visits with the adoptive family, receive letters and pictures, or choose not to have contact with the adoptive family - it is your choice.
What if I have given birth to my baby already - can I still choose adoption? Yes, please contact Children at Heart right away to discuss your options.
Does the father of my baby have rights? Yes, he does - if you and the father of your baby do not agree on your adoption plan, Children at Heart will work with him and/or the courts to determine his rights.
How will I know that my child will be taken care of in his/her adoptive family? The families you will choose from will have been thoroughly screened by Children at Heart and a social worker, and they will be visited by a social worker after placement to be sure the baby is well cared for.
Set up a meeting with Children at Heart, and learn about different types of adoption plans - we can help you create a plan that will work best for your situation... Open Adoption
An open adoption involves sharing identifying information between the birthparents and the adoptive family. In an open adoption plan, the birthparents will be able to visit with the adoptive family on a regularly scheduled basis.
When choosing an open adoption plan, you can expect to….
◦ meet families in person to help you choose an adoptive family for your baby.
◦ share your identifying information with the adoptive family, and the adoptive family will share their identifying information with you.
◦ build a relationship with the adoptive family throughout your pregnancy.
◦ remain in contact with your child and the adoptive family after the adoption is finalized.
◦ visit with your child in person through his/her childhood.
Open adoption offers you the ability to get to visit with your child in person, which can be a wonderful experience - but it can also be difficult at times. Birthparents must support the adoptive parents whom they have chosen - and not think of open adoption as a way of co-parenting. It is also important to consider the child when scheduling face-to-face visits - it might be best to schedule visits when the child requests them once they are at an older age - unless both you and your child are happy to see each other regularly. There is work that must be done to draw clear boundaries to develop healthy relationships in an open adoption - but in the end, this work can be very rewarding to the birthparents, adoptive family, and most importantly, the child.
Semi-Open Adoption
In a semi-open adoption plan, the birthparents will generally receive letters and pictures from the adoptive family while the child is growing up. Identifying information can be shared between the birthmother and adoptive family, or it can be kept confidential.
When choosing a semi-open adoption plan, you can expect to….
◦ choose a family based on non-identifying information, with the option of meeting in person later.
◦ know the adoptive family by their first name(s) only, or choose to share full names and other identifying information.
◦ receive letters and pictures from the adoptive family while the child is growing up.
◦ have the option to send letters and pictures to the adoptive family, while the child is growing up.
◦ have the option to have meetings with your child with a third party present.
Semi-open adoptions come in many forms and allow birthparents to get to know their child, and vice versa, without necessarily having face-to-face visits. Semi-open adoptions allow information to be shared between the birthparents and the adoptive family, but this information is most often passed through the adoption agency or other third party. This arrangement does allow the birthparents and adoptive family to develop a relationship over time.
Confidential/Closed Adoption
In a confidential (or "closed") adoption plan, the birthparents and the adoptive family will not meet, will not share identifying information, will not have direct contact with one another, and will not keep in contact after the adoption is finalized.
When choosing a confidential adoption plan, you can expect to….
◦ choose an adoptive family based on non-identifying information.
◦ have the option to have your adoption agency choose an adoptive family for you.
◦ have no identifying information shared between you and the adoptive family.
◦ have no contact with the adoptive family during and after the adoption process.
Confidential adoptions are less common in today’s society, but they can be an option for birthparents who feel they need to keep their pregnancy and adoption private, or for a birthmother who feels she cannot emotionally handle having contact with her child in the future, and does not wish to meet the adoptive family. In a confidential adoption, there is no ongoing exchange of information between the birthparents and the adoptive family - except in the case of a court order due to medical emergency. This may be difficult for the child as time goes on, if he or she has questions about their birthparents - but even in a confidential adoption, a birthparent may choose to provide current contact information to the adoption agency, which would be kept confidential, and only used to gain information if necessary.
Choosing adoption for your child is one of the most loving and unselfish decisions you can make. Let Children at Heart Adoption Services, Inc. be there for you during this time.
Children at Heart Adoption Services, Inc. 254 N. Front Street, Suite 200 Wilmington, NC 28401 910.763.4414 CAHadoptions@aol.com
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