Meeting an expecting mom for the first time can be both thrilling and anxiety-inducing. Whether you are going through an agency or taking a self-matching approach, there are important questions to ask in order to determine if you are a good match for her child. If you are networking on your own, the following questions may prove helpful in your initial conversation with an expecting mom.
Here are 6 questions to ask an expecting mom:
- Take an interest in the birth mom’s life. Ask when she’s due and when she started thinking about adoption.
- Learn about everyone involved in the adoption. Ask about the birth father, her family, and their involvement with the child and what they each think about her adoption plan. If there is any lack of support, it may be difficult for her to make an adoption plan. It would also be helpful to learn why she chose to interview you.
- What are her plans for the future? Does she plan on going back to school, continuing with schooling, or are there other plans she has after this adoption experience?
- Find out her hobbies. What does she like to do in her spare time? What does she enjoy doing?
- Does she know others who have placed before? It’s important for moms who are placing to have someone to talk to about their decision, especially someone who’s been in her position. Not only will it help her gauge whether or not this is the right choice for her, but they can offer much-needed support when the decision is made.
- Avoid asking extremely sensitive questions and making assumptions about her life. When you’re doing outreach yourself, it’s important to let the adoption professionals handle the more serious questions, especially about substance abuse and finances. Another thing to keep in mind is to not pre-judge a mom, not every mother who places their child for adoption is poor, has substance abuse problems, or has an absent partner. Each case is unique.
Remember, expecting moms are just as nervous as you are. She may have fears about whether or not you’re the right family for her child or if you’ll keep your commitments. With this in mind, make every effort to keep things relaxed.
To learn more about the adoption process, take our All About Adoption 101 course.
This blog post is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Our services are not financial, business or legal advice. The information presented here is not a guarantee that you will obtain any results or earn any money using our content. Adoption & Beyond, Inc. owns all copyrights to the materials presented here unless otherwise noted.
