Florida Adoption Plan Options: Semi-Open Adoption

Written by Eve Jones

If you have already begun to work with Adoption Choices of Florida, welcome! Even if you haven’t, you may have started to think about what kind of adoption you want for your baby. There are three types of adoptions for you to choose from: open, closed, and semi-open. Below, we’ll discuss making an adoption plan based off a semi-open adoption.

What is a Semi-Open Adoption?

A semi-open adoption is a fairly new idea, and is one where the birth mother maintains at least partial contact, usually anonymously through an adoption agency, with her baby after he or she has been placed with an adoptive family. Many people choose this option because there are certain benefits that may be preferable compared to closed or open adoptions. 

The main benefit for the birth mother is the opportunity to see her baby’s progress as he or she grows, while staying anonymous and protecting her (the birth mother’s) privacy. For the adoptive family, a semi-open adoption allows them to have access to the birth family’s medical history without unduly disrupting the birth mother’s life. If the child wishes to know more about their genetic or medical background when they’re older, a semi-open adoption makes that possible. For many adoptees, knowing where they came from can be very beneficial to their sense of self and identity down the road. This kind of adoption allows these children to learn about their birth family’s background while enabling the birth mother to maintain her privacy, until or unless, she chooses to establish more direct contact. 

Making a Semi-Open Adoption Plan

Once you know you’d like a semi-open adoption, you should make an adoption plan for how you would like to maintain contact. You’ve already decided you’d prefer not to have close contact with the baby or their new family, but you definitely want to know how the baby is doing periodically. Ask yourself questions and think about what will work best for you and how this will fit into your life.

• Are you comfortable with the adoptive family knowing who you are now or at some point in the future, or would it make you feel more at ease to stay completely anonymous? 
• How would you like to establish communication through our agency?
• Consider how often you would like to receive updates – weekly, monthly, yearly?
• What kind of updates, perhaps just photos, videos, a few sentences?

With our adoption agency, you can decide how much or how little you would like to know, it’s completely up to you.

Boundaries and Communication within a Semi-Open Adoption Plan

It’s important to know your own boundaries and levels of comfort so you can choose what’s right for you and your life. If you think you may want to build a relationship with the child and the adoptive family at a later date, you’ll want to plan for that now as much as possible. It’s also okay if you decide to limit contact at a later point, because our lives go through many transitions and our needs often change as a result. If this happens just be sure to update us as soon as possible so we can make a note in your file. 

It’s also very important to have your medical information readily available, in case the adoptive family has any questions or concerns about the baby’s health and predisposition to various genetic illnesses. Once you have that information collected and in a safe place, it will be much easier to provide it in the future if it’s ever needed. As always, plan for the worst but hope for the best!

Benefits of Semi-Open Adoption

There are many benefits to this type of adoption. You may have a sense of guilt or fear as a birth parent, which is completely normal and understandable. By choosing a semi-open adoption, you can alleviate that guilt or fear because you’ll know your baby is being cared for and loved. You won’t have to worry about where your baby will be placed or how to vet potential adoptive families because we’ll handle that for you. Once your baby has been placed through a semi-open adoption, we’ll manage the lines of communication as well, to protect both your privacy and that of the adoptive family.

If you’ve decided to choose a semi-open adoption and are working with Adoption Choices of Florida, then you’re in luck! Working with an agency like ours means establishing and maintaining partial contact while protecting your privacy can be a very straightforward process, because, as mentioned above, we will handle all contact and informational exchanges between you and the adoptive family as needed. If you already know you would like to keep some contact with your baby, whether because you would like to see their progress as they grow up, and/or because you just want to be sure they’re happy and cared for, we are more than prepared to help you construct a plan to make that happen!

Potential Downsides of Semi-Open Adoption

While the advantages listed above can be very beneficial, they can also at the same time present challenges for the people involved in the process. This is important to keep in mind as you make your semi-open adoption plan. Everyone is different and what works for some people may not work the same for you. Some birth parents feel much less guilt, fear and apprehension by choosing a semi-open adoption plan, but some feel more. Be sure to check in with yourself regularly and ask yourself how you feel. Your feelings are valid and they matter, so being aware of them is crucial for your own self-care when you’re going through something potentially difficult.

Make the Best Florida Adoption Options for Yourself!

The most important thing you can do is understand your personal limitations and levels of comfort so you can rest assured that you’re making the best choice both for you and for your baby. You are already making a wonderful decision to place your baby for adoption through Adoption Choices of Florida, so you’re on the right track. Now is the best time to make a plan you feel good about – remember that no one knows your needs as well as you do, so advocate for yourself and your needs, you got this!

If you are a pregnant woman in Florida considering adoption, and have any questions or concerns about the adoption process, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For more information on adoption, visit us at Adoption Choices of Florida or call us at: (833) 352-3678