ADOPTION

"Adoption is less about finding a child for your family and more about finding a family for a child. When you make that shift in perspective, everything changes—and a beautiful path to motherhood opens before you."

- Cheri Bergeron

For women interested in building their families through adoption, these resources provide information about different adoption paths, organizations, legal considerations, and support communities to help navigate this meaningful journey to motherhood.

Adoption Types and Key Resources

Adoption Type Resources
Domestic Infant Adoption Agencies like American Adoptions or Gladney Center for Adoption
Foster Care Adoption AdoptUSKids, State DSS websites
International Adoption Holt International, Spence-Chapin, Children of All Nations
Kinship/Relative Adoption Your local child welfare office; family law attorneys
Embryo Adoption Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program

Creating a Family – Adoption Guide

The gold standard for unbiased, comprehensive info on domestic, foster, international, and embryo adoption.

Website: https://creatingafamily.org

Child Welfare Information Gateway

U.S. government-run portal with state-specific adoption laws, steps, and resources.

Website: https://www.childwelfare.gov

AdoptUSKids

A great place to learn about foster care adoption and view waiting children across the U.S.

Website: https://www.adoptuskids.org

Adoption.org

Practical info on all types of adoption, including cost, legal process, and emotional considerations.

Website: https://adoption.org

Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA)

Find vetted adoption attorneys in your state.

Website: https://adoptionart.org

State-Specific Guides (via Child Welfare Gateway)

Helps you understand consent laws, timelines, and parental rights in your state.

Website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/state

Facebook Groups

  • Hoping to Adopt (Domestic & Foster)
  • Adoption Support Group for Moms
  • Transracial Adoption Support

Instagram Accounts

  • @adoptwell (faith-based education)
  • @trauma_mama_drama (real talk about parenting adopted kids with trauma)

Reddit Communities

  • r/Adoption
  • r/Fosterit (for foster-to-adopt journeys)

Specialized Support

  • Be the Bridge – Transracial Adoption - Helps adoptive parents raise children of a different race with cultural competence.
    Website: https://bethebridge.com
  • Family Equality - Resources and legal help for LGBTQ+ families pursuing adoption.
    Website: https://www.familyequality.org

For Adoptive Parents

  • "The Connected Child" by Karyn Purvis - A must for parenting kids from hard places or with trauma histories.
  • "Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox" by Jean MacLeod & Sheena Macrae - Covers a wide variety of parenting styles, needs, and therapeutic strategies.
  • "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew" by Sherrie Eldridge - A powerful look into the adoptee's experience.

For Talking to Kids

  • "A Mother for Choco" by Keiko Kasza
  • "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born" by Jamie Lee Curtis
  • "I Wished for You: An Adoption Story" by Marianne Richmond

Podcasts

  • Creating a Family Podcast – Weekly episodes on adoption, trauma, parenting, and more
  • The Honestly Adoption Podcast – Especially strong for foster/adoptive families
  • Born in June, Raised in April – From an adoptee's perspective; great for understanding identity and openness

Adoption Tax Credit

Up to ~$15,000 in 2024, helping offset costs for domestic and international adoptions.

Website: https://www.irs.gov

Employer Benefits

Some companies offer paid leave or adoption assistance—check your HR policy.

Grants & Loans

  • Gift of Adoption Fund - https://giftofadoption.org
  • Helpusadopt.org - Inclusive of all family types
  • ABBA Fund, Lifesong, Show Hope - For faith-based families

Domestic Infant Adoption

International Adoption