Whether you’re pregnant or have just given birth you might be feeling like now is not the right time to a parent a new baby. If you are interested in learning more about making an adoption plan or giving your child up for adoption with Open Arms, check out some of the Open Arms’ waiting adoptive families who are prepared, approved and ready to be a parent right now. Our prospective adoptive parents are thoroughly screened and are passionate and excited about adopting.  No matter what … [Read more...]

If you are pregnant and wondering if this unplanned pregnancy is something that you really want, you may be considering your other options and wondering what they are. This pregnancy may be an accident, or perhaps your circumstances have changed over the last few weeks or months, and you no longer feel that a new baby is a good idea. Although you may feel stressed and trapped right now, the good news is, you do have options. Termination may be an idea that you are considering, but if abortion is … [Read more...]

If you are a pregnant homeless woman, you may be wondering if you can still choose adoption for your baby if you are currently homeless. The answer is yes, you can choose adoption even if you are homeless or in between a stable housing situation. Homelessness during pregnancy is nothing to be ashamed of or something that should limit your rights to support. No matter how you are reading this, please know that you can contact our team 24 hours a day for support on how to address your pregnancy … [Read more...]

An Unwanted Surprise Everything was great. You and your boyfriend were in a good place, talking about moving in together and meeting each other’s families. And then you made that mistake of missing your birth control pill, or maybe another form of contraception did not work. Now, you have 2 missed periods, your body is starting to change and you are exhausted. You know these are pregnancy symptoms but you have been avoiding taking a home pregnancy test because you are trying the “if I ignore … [Read more...]

If you are currently 6 months pregnant, and getting stressed about this new baby coming soon, that is completely normal!  You are likely in the “honeymoon” phase of your pregnancy, morning sickness has hopefully slowed down, and you have more time to think about what the coming months will bring. This may get you worried about the sleepless nights, a crying baby, money, housing, childcare and how you might balance everything in your life.   Below we will explain a bit more about what is coming … [Read more...]

If you are considering adoption for your baby, whether you are pregnant or have recently given birth, one of the questions that might come up in your thinking is about cost. You may be wondering whether it costs money to get help to give your baby up for adoption. The short answer is, no. It is absolutely free to put your baby up for adoption. One reason you might be surprised by that is because there are a lot of misconceptions about adoption. Many people assume that counselors charge … [Read more...]

If you have an accidental pregnancy, you first need to take a deep breath and try to ease your nerves. A surprise pregnancy can be a terrifying and overwhelming time, but remember that you are not alone. Do not try to deal with the situation on your own. There are many resources available to you, and it is important to get the correct information so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your baby. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the things you need to know if you find … [Read more...]

Many women experience times when they wonder if they might be pregnant based on what their body is telling them. This can be an incredibly nerve-wracking time, especially if the woman is not trying to conceive. There are many signs of pregnancy to look out for to help you decide whether to take a pregnancy test, and we will cover those here. It is also important to remember that one negative result does not necessarily mean that you are not pregnant. Sometimes, women may test too early, thus … [Read more...]

Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be an emotional and difficult ride. While it isn't easy, it is not incredibly uncommon. Know that you are not alone and lots of women have experienced your current circumstances. In order to figure out where to go from here, we have offered 7 tips for how to handle an unexpected pregnancy below. 1. Don't Panic and Don’t Fault Yourself No matter how this happened, whether it was failed or forgotten birth control, or another way, do not fault yourself. … [Read more...]

A question commonly asked when planning an Open Adoption regarding adoptive parents is whether you can change families and choose a different one before the baby is born. The answer to this can be complicated depending on the situation, and while it would be best to work with an adoption specialist while considering this, we will attempt to answer this question and help you ensure that you get the right parents for your baby. The Open Adoption Process When considering adoption, either during … [Read more...]

If you are pregnant and confident that parenting or keeping the baby is not what you would like to do, you are likely thinking about your other two options: abortion and adoption. While these are similar in that you would not be the mother of this baby, these are obviously very different in many ways. While you might be learning toward terminating the pregnancy and getting an abortion, there are several ways in which the two of them differ that you should consider before making your decision. … [Read more...]

If you recently found out that you got your friend with benefits pregnant, you are likely feeling stressed out and overwhelmed right now.  The first thing to do is to take a deep breath and try to calm down. We will discuss where to go from here, and we can help you both in this situation. No matter how you got here, whether your form of contraception didn't work, someone forgot to take the pill, or whether you made a mistake and forgot your condoms, we can work with you to figure out what to do … [Read more...]

One of the difficult questions that you might be asking yourself when faced with a pregnancy that may have been unexpected is whether you will regret the decision to get an abortion. This is a complicated question that is difficult to answer but learning about other options and making sure you have all the important information that you need will help you make the right decision. A new study suggesting most women don't regret abortion You may see several articles on the internet that reference … [Read more...]

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, while people were dealing with sickness, lockdowns, and school closures, the Government began providing cash assistance in the form of the American Rescue Plan to certain US citizens to stimulate the economy. Many US residents who had never received government aid before benefited from unemployment compensation, food programs, and other initiatives. Eviction moratoria were established, and other regulations were put in place to allow Americans to stay on their feet … [Read more...]

If you are currently pregnant or have recently given birth, and you want to learn more about adoption, you likely have many questions about the process. Who should be the one to help you through the process is likely at the top of your list. If you have seen any movies or television shows which feature adoption, you might have questions about whether you should be contacting an adoption agency, or whether you should be contacting a lawyer. We will discuss those options in depth below, in order … [Read more...]

Updated December 2021 If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy or you are currently taking care of your newborn, and you are considering giving up your baby for adoption, you likely have a lot of questions about what adoption means, how the adoption process works, adoption laws and your parental rights, and any other other information that you should know about before making this important decision. You may be overwhelmed and possibly even more confused after looking at multiple adoption … [Read more...]

If you or someone you know is either pregnant or recently gave birth, and you are wanting to learn more information about giving up a baby for adoption, or making an adoption plan, but you aren't sure where to start, there are a few steps to the adoption process that we will outline below. Several of these steps might differ depending on how you move forward with adoption, whether you work with an adoption agency or an attorney, but this article will give you a general idea of the steps involved … [Read more...]