This article strays from our usual light-hearted format to a more serious subject, adoption as a viable option in an unplanned pregnancy. 

NatureCoaster.com has formed an alliance with the West Pasco Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center to raise awareness of the benefits and challenges of adoption as an alternative to abortion or parenting in an unplanned pregnancy situation.

The West Pasco Women’s Wellness and Pregnancy Center in Port Richey, Florida, has pregnancy counselors, called Life Coaches, to provide Options Counseling to those who may find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy and who are questioning their readiness or ability to become parents.  Free confidential pregnancy tests are available in the office from a caring professional with results available during your appointment.

Caring, confidential counseling is also provided to evaluate the three options available to pregnant women – abortion, parenting, and adoption – by a trained Options Counselor who brings knowledge, values, and ethics to the conversation.

Three Choices for a Pregnant Woman – Parenting, Abortion or Adoption

The persons who can make the ultimate decision regarding the unexpected child are the biological parents – and sometimes, it may be the mother alone. The pregnancy counselor or Life Coach has the responsibility to provide all options while remaining neutral and non-directive. A Life Coach has a goal to only allow the client to reach a decision that is best for her.

The counseling process opens the conversation for the three options a woman has when facing an unplanned pregnancy.  They will discuss the pros and cons of each decision, with suggestions for the birth mom to explore that are particular to each choice.  The birth mom has no time constraint on her in exploring and discussing her options, nor in making her decision. Life Coaches pace the process to the particular needs of each birth mom.

What is Adoption Exactly?

Adoption is a process, not a label; it is an event, not a condition. Adoption is a legal process. A permanent parent and child relationship is formed by the transfer of parental rights from one set of parents to another individual or couple who is willing to assume those rights and responsibilities for the child.

Why Choose Adoption for an Unplanned Pregnancy?

The language surrounding Adoption, as well as the process itself, has changed remarkably between the past and present.  At the West Pasco Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center, the Life Coach  is a critical thinker that uses accurate language, realism and common sense to act on what is right and in the best interest of others. 

When speaking of an adoption, it may be open, semi-open, or closed, as it refers to the relationship between the birth parent(s) and adoptive family.  The intricacies of the options are as varied as they can be and accommodate to the needs and desires of the Birth Family, with input and accommodation for the Adoptee and Adoptive Family. 

The first thing is addressing the cares, concerns, and questions that the birth mom may have.  The West Pasco Pregnancy Center provides a comfortable setting with no time constraint for the birth mom to explore her options, have her questions answered and receive the information she needs. 

Today’s Adoption System can be Open

The amount of openness and contact is unique to each family – birth parents, adoptive parents and child. Adoption agreements in Florida are good faith agreements and not legally binding contracts; however, some states do have legally binding agreements that are enforceable. 

Adoption options are so flexible that they can include a Kinship/ Relative Option which would include a family member, maybe an aunt, a sibling or grandparent as the adoptive parent. This is different from informal family care, more structured and can provide protections as well as the degree or level of involvement that the birth mom may want to maintain. 

A birth parent can remain involved in the child’s life to the level or degree of her comfort. It could include direct communication via text, phone calls as well as visitation, on the level or frequency that the birth mother wants or may need. 

Regardless of the type of adoption that is decided upon, non-identifying information, such as medical and social history of each of the birth parents and their families, will be shared with adopting parents. 

With open adoptions, the birth parents can still have the right to know the child, as well as the child to know them.

As noted, the Center puts no time constraints on the birth mom to explore her options and ask her questions.

Adoptions can still be Closed if Preferred

Closed adoptions can mean that the birth parents make an Adoption Plan and choose to limit contact with the child. As adoption is explored, all the particulars can be discussed; the referring Adoption agency will further explore and explain the particulars of the plan as part of the process.  Medical and social history would be shared with the adopting parents.

Each Adoption Plan is Different: Birth Parents are in Control

There are no etched-in-stone rules for birth parent contact with their adopted child.  The process educates the birth mom to then explore all options with her support systems. 

If a decision is made by the Birth Mom to move in the direction of making an adoption plan for her child, the Center then provides a list of adoption agencies that are local and will meet the needs of the birth mom. 

Once an Adoption plan is developed, the birth mom may continue to participate with the Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center for her own comfort items, nutrition, and education.

Words from a Birth Mom who chose Adoption

 “As a birth mom of fourteen years myself, there’s no doubt that adoption is a choice that is difficult and selfless. We have made this choice out of love for our child, not out of abandonment. We place the needs of our child before our own wants or desires. Ultimately, birth moms have an amazing way of looking towards the future, and not so much at their past,” states birth mother Callie Jett in What you Really Need to Know about Birth Moms on Mother’s Day, an article on MarchforLife.org.

Checking with West Pasco Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center

If you think you might be pregnant and are looking for information on your options, the West Pasco Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center in Port Richey can help you.

Not everyone is ready to be a parent when they become pregnant. Therefore, the medical staff at the West Pasco Women’s Wellness and Pregnancy Center are ready to help you make the best decision for you and your family.

As you decide what is best for you and your baby, you may be concerned that it isn’t a good time to have a baby, or worry that you won’t be able to continue school, or wonder what the impact will be on your career. 

Because any decision involving an unplanned pregnancy has consequences that are long term and life-changing, it is so important for a woman to take the time necessary to explore all of their options.

Before you deal with the stress of that decision, it is best to first make sure that you are pregnant – as a late period is not always a sign of pregnancy.  It’s a good idea to have a pregnancy test and have the test verified in a medical clinic. An ultrasound will verify that pregnancy test and determine that the pregnancy’s location.

Every day the West Pasco Women’s Wellness and Pregnancy Center helps women achieve their full potential despite the pressure and consequences of an unintended pregnancy. When a woman suspects that she is pregnant, she has options – there is no easy choice when you do not feel ready to have a baby. 

Adoption is one that we trust you can explore with at the West Pasco Women’s Wellness & Pregnancy Center. They are located at 8125 US-19, in Port Richey, Florida. Their phone number is 727-846-9999 and it is answered 24/7.